


Anybody's Guess Epilogue: Shining Brighter

by saddle_tramp



Series: Incomplete [2]
Category: 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), Fast and the Furious Series, The Fast and the Furious (2001)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Baggage, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, No Really Lots of Explicit Sex, OMG This Was Supposed To Be Short, Permanent Injury, They Still Won't Shut Up, When Brian Says He Told Tej Everything He Means It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-13
Updated: 2017-07-13
Packaged: 2018-12-01 11:52:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 77,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11485839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saddle_tramp/pseuds/saddle_tramp
Summary: Pairings: Tej/Brian, pre Tej/Suki, pre Rome/Brian, unrequited Dom/BrianWarnings: emotional trauma, mention of past non-con, hurt/comfort, explicit m/m sexSummary:  Inspired by the song'Never Gonna Let You Down'by Colbie Caillat, particularly this part:Low...When you're feeling low and you just don't know where to run to.Broke…If your heart's been broke, and you feel like you're all alone.If you need something to believe in,If you're looking for a light to guide you home,Just look inside, your light's shining brighter than you know.And you should know...I'm never gonna let you down,I'm always gonna build you up.And when you're feeling lost,I will always find you love.I'm never gonna walk away,I'm always gonna have your back,And if nothing else you can always count on that.When you need me I promise I will never let you down.When Brian got to Miami, he seemed so happy that Tej didn't quite believe he was broken like Rick had said, not until he saw it for himself.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So... I was listening to Spotify and rereading _'Incomplete'_ to edit, as I do because I am my own beta and OCD that way and always find at least one more mistake (They _breed_ , I swear!) and I heard this song by Colbie Caillat that made me stop in my tracks and just listen. Five minutes later I had tracked it down on Youtube and listened twice more, and this story was screaming at me to be written. 
> 
> I love this 'verse's Tej and how he loves Brian, and the song is so completely _him_ , and he wanted to talk, and yes. You get a fic.
> 
> I meant it to be just an epilogue snippet to fill in between _'Anybody's Guess'_ and _'Big Mistake'_ , but the Tej in my head laughed at me and wouldn't shut up, and as usual I caved. Those guys that live in my head run my life sometimes, I swear, but I do enjoy the stories they tell. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy it too.

~*~*~*~

Tej was playing poker, but it was a good thing it was a dollar night. His mind wasn't on the game or even the conversation his friends were having, and he knew they could tell it because he was losing in a pretty major way.

Julio was just glad to have a chance for a change in their weekly poker game and was obviously smug he'd won two hands so far. He was shooting Tej a glance once in a while but mostly just talking with Suki and Jimmy. Julio had stuck around even after Tej told people to clear out, and Tej let him because Julio was family. He and Jimmy met Julio even before they bought the lot for the garage, and he had been right there helping out ever since. Julio and his family knew a lot of people and had made it a lot easier for Tej and Jimmy to settle in and make Miami home.

Jimmy kept giving Tej little sidelong looks, but he didn't say anything about how quiet and serious Tej was because they had already talked a little bit earlier. Tej didn't give him any details, but he knew that Brian was on the way and that he had been through something that had Tej worried about him. Jimmy was the best friend Tej had ever had besides Brian and he knew Tej almost as well as Tej knew himself. Jimmy knew that Tej had worked so hard to be the best on the circuit because he had a goal in mind, a plan that was worth _anything_ to him, and he knew that Brian was at the heart of it in a very literal way. Tej had told him about Brian years ago when Jimmy first noticed that Tej seldom even looked at the women who threw themselves at him after he started winning on the circuit.

Suki was trying to pretend everything was normal, but her eyes had glittered with anger while she listened to Tej talking to Brian to give him directions, and she was still pissed twenty minutes later. Suki didn't want Tej getting too close to _her_ , she hadn't even let him really _kiss_ her yet, but she was possessive as hell if he tried getting close to anyone else. Usually it wasn't a problem, Tej was stupidly hung up on her and didn't even look at other girls, but Brian was a completely different story. She had seen him talk to Brian on the phone twice now, and he had been affectionate enough both times that she was already pissed at Brian even though she hadn't even _met him_ yet.

Tej wasn't really thinking about Suki just then either, though. He was remembering when Rick called him the night before and worrying about Brian. Brian hadn't said anything to Tej about being fresh out of prison, just told him he needed to get out of California, but Rick had told Tej more than he really wanted to know about what Brian had been through in the last year. He had no idea what kind of shape Brian would be in when he got there, but was ready to do anything he had to do to make Brian feel safe even if that meant turning the garage over to Jimmy for a while and taking Brian out to a quiet little rent house he owned on the Gulf coast. Jimmy would understand.

Tej had been brooding about what Rick told him all day, and by the time he knew Brian would be getting close, he was expecting the worst. He hadn't forgotten what Brian was like when he moved to Glendale after juvie, remembered all too well how sad and withdrawn he had been and how he'd shy away from being touched and never got close to people he didn't know well, especially men. Brian had grown to trust Tej close to him within just a few days but it had been _weeks_ before Brian would let the guys who worked with him get within arm's reach without tensing up and backing away.

Tej thought Brian might be able to trust Jimmy, who was so calm and always cheerful but never got too close to anyone, but he fully expected Brian to avoid everyone else. Rick said he'd been spending almost all his time locked up in a garage with his Mustang unless he was racing, and that Brian always came back from racing exhausted and looking kind of haunted, which made Tej _really_ worry about him. Brian was like him, his favorite thing in the _world_ was driving fast, and for even that to be an effort meant Brian was truly messed up.

Tej heard a big engine approaching and looked towards the sound, eyebrows going up a little at the sight of the sexy silver Mustang that was pulling into the lot. He grinned, wide and pleased as the car rumbled across the lot towards one of the bays in the garage, and Tej didn't even notice the others talking to him as he dropped his cards on the table and stood to head for the Mustang. He barely noticed the car anymore once it moved into the bright lights, his gaze on Brian's wide grin and sparkling blue eyes.

After talking to Rick he had expected anything but to see Brian looking _happy_. Brian hardly seemed to be watching where the car was going, his gaze on Tej as he parked and opened his door to get out, and Tej was beaming as he crowed, "Twinkie!"

Brian laughed, bright and joyful, and Tej couldn't stop himself from hugging Brian tightly. Brian hesitated an instant before he was hugging back, but Tej wasn't sure if he had imagined it as Brian picked him up and swung him around, sounding fond as he murmured, "Hey Swiss Roll."

Tej laughed, pulling back just enough to see the wide happy grin on Brian's face. He had expected Brian to be a little different, but he was surprised by how much more muscle Brian had now and how easily he was holding Tej up off the ground. Brian acted like Tej was light as a feather, holding him tight and giving him that grin that always made Tej want to call him a goofball. He looked older, but if anything he was even more beautiful than Tej remembered, and being in Brian's arms again felt so much like coming home that he had to fight the urge to just start kissing him and forget the rest of the world.

Brian was still grinning wide and goofy as he stared into Tej's eyes, and Tej couldn't do anything but grin back as he decided to just try to forget what Rick had told him, teasing Brian, "Man, that is so _racist_!"

"Oh, and like callin' me _Twinkie_ ain't," Brian replied, still grinning and holding Tej up so his feet were off the ground.

Tej felt like it had been _forever_ since the day he left Brian behind to go on the circuit. His plan had always been to ride the circuit roller coaster for a few years and invest everything he could in their future then go back for Brian, though he never told Brian that because he didn't want to disappoint him if it didn't work out. The crash had forced Tej to walk away from racing before he was ready, but it had left him so messed up it took him a long time to feel like he wouldn't just be a burden on Brian if they did get back together. He was finally recovered enough and settled, though, had finally found them a home where he thought they could both be happy, and as he hung there in Brian's arms looking into his sparkling eyes, Tej felt like it had all been worth it.

"You _are_ a Twinkie, Bri," Tej pointed out, grinning, and then he let himself kiss Brian for just a moment before he swatted his shoulder. "Now stop bein' an ass and put me _down_."

Brian snickered and finally put Tej down, blue eyes bright with laughter. "Whatever you say, Swiss Roll."

Tej let out a snort of a laugh, grinning at Brian as he stepped back mostly so he wouldn't forget to keep his hands to himself. "It took you the whole drive to think of that one, didn't it, baby boy?"

"Maybe," Brian admitted, laughing slightly.

"For damn sure," Tej corrected, grinning wider.

Brian finally noticed Julio, Jimmy, and Suki then, but he didn't seem worried at all as he watched them approaching, and Tej decided right then that he'd have to call Rick tomorrow and give him a piece of his mind for making Tej worry so hard. Brian was doing fine from all he saw, _much_ better than when he got to Glendale despite Rick's gloom and doom about worrying Brian was at the end of his rope. Brian had never been able to hide anything from Tej and he couldn't even _begin_ to fake that happy sparkle in his eyes.

Suki stalked over to stand next to Tej, hooking her arm possessively through his and giving Brian a flat stare. "Baby, who's your friend?"

Tej smirked at Suki's transparency even though he was ready to step between her and Brian if he had to as he said easily, "Suki darlin', this boy is the white bread version of _me_. We go way back to right after high school. Name's Brian, but I just call him Twinkie 'cause he's all golden and buff on the outside, but inside he's all sweet fluffy whiteness."

Julio and Jimmy started laughing at that, and even Suki giggled a little, but Tej saw her angry eyes didn't change at all as she stared at Brian and he was sure she'd be causing trouble soon. He just hoped she had really listened to him when he told her to be careful of Brian because he'd been through Hell.  He didn't give her any details, but he had made it as plain as he knew how that if she hurt Brian he'd never forgive her. Tej had never expected to fall so hard for her, but he still had no doubt of what he'd do if she made him choose.

"Nice to meet you, Brian," Suki said then, trying and failing to seem friendly.

Brian smiled at Suki and seemed not to notice her anger as he said cheerfully, "Hey Suki. My friends call me Bri, mostly, but sometimes people call me Bullitt." He reached out to pat the Mustang he was still standing next to, grinning. "I think it's the car."

Jimmy moved closer to the Mustang, barely glancing at Brian before he went back to looking admiringly at the car, and Tej smirked a little wider. Jimmy loved classic American muscle and Tej could tell he was impressed. "She got Nos?" Jimmy asked as he stepped past Tej and Suki like they weren't even there.

Brian laughed, watching Jimmy duck his head to look in the driver's door. "Yeah, she's got _everything_. And you are?"

"That's Jimmy," Tej said with a laugh. Jimmy really looked at Brian then, and Tej could tell he was a little embarrassed he had mostly ignored Brian in favor of the car. "He's the best mechanic on the east coast, even _with_ me an' you here."

"Damn," Brian said with a grin, eyebrows going up. He grinned at Jimmy, offering him his hand as he said, "Glad to meet you, man."

Jimmy shook Brian's hand, smiling quickly at him. "Same, bro." He jerked his thumb at the Mustang, looking hopeful. "Care if I pop the hood?"

"Nah man, go for it," Brian said easily. "If Tej trusts you, that's enough for me. Just don't change anything, I got her right the way I want her."

Jimmy grinned, obviously pleased. "Deal." He reached in the car to pull the hood release and then quickly moved to the front of the car, and Tej could tell he was already sliding into the zone where nothing mattered but the car.

Tej chuckled and looked at Brian, his brown eyes sparkling with amusement. "He'll forget we're even _here_ now."

Brian grinned. "Gotta remind you of somebody."

"Yeah," Tej said with a laugh. "You! Jimmy don't _drool_ on sexy cars, though. He just talks to 'em."

Brian grinned and didn't deny it, instead nodding towards Julio. "You ever gonna introduce your other friend, Tej?"

Tej laughed and pulled away from Suki, turning to grab Julio's arm and pull him past her. "This here's Julio, better known as Orange Julius. He's shy, white boys in sexy American muscle scare him."

Julio laughed and shoved Tej. "And you're full of shit, Tej." He gave Brian a slight nod. "Hey man. Heard Tej talkin' about you some the last few days. He says you're the best."

"Nah man," Brian said instantly, " _Tej_ is the best. I just do okay." He smirked. "Win more than I lose."

Julio's eyes looked a little surprised when Brian said Tej was the best, but he was still smiling as he said easily, "Can't wait to see you prove it. I'm plannin' to bet on you when you run his Skyline, she is gonna be _sweet_."

"Oughta be a good investment," Brian agreed, still grinning, and then he caught Tej's eye. "You got somewhere safe I can park my baby so I can get some shuteye? I've been up like thirty hours and I'm beat. I'll find a place to live tomorrow."

Tej snorted. "I already _got_ you a place to live, baby boy."

Tej ignored the way Suki stared at him. He loved her more than any other girl he ever knew, enough that he'd bought a ring for the first time in his life, but he refused to change his relationship with Brian to please her. Tej had just wanted to hear Brian's voice when he started looking for him, needed to make sure he was happy and safe and set Tej's mind at ease before he asked Suki to marry him, but then he heard Brian's voice and everything changed. He had been inviting Brian into his life again without even stopping to consider what that would mean for him and Suki, but thinking about it later hadn't changed his mind. Suki would either have to accept how much he loved Brian or Tej would return the ring and learn how to live without her again. It would hurt like Hell to lose her, but if she made him choose, she was making the choice for him.

Tej stepped closer to Brian as he added, "Just chuck Jimmy your keys and come with me. He'll lock your lady up in the bay I promised you when he's through checkin' her out."

Jimmy leaned around the hood to look at Brian, who laughed and tossed him the keys. "Watch her if you take her out," Brian said as Jimmy caught the keys. "She likes to fly."

Jimmy grinned. "I bet, she's _sweet_."

"Thanks," Brian said, grinning smugly as his blue eyes sparkled bright with happiness. "I did it all myself, even the paint."

Jimmy eyebrows rose in surprise. "Tej wasn't joking about you being good. I couldn't have done much better."

Tej felt pleased and smug that Brian had gotten Jimmy's respect so quickly. He vividly remembered when he started teaching Brian about cars, beginning with where to put the oil and how to change the filters. Brian had been scarily good behind the wheel even then, but he knew _nothing_ about what went on under the hood when Tej met him.

"You're gonna have to tell me sometime what you'd change." Brian leaned into his car to grab the duffle and the paper bag laying in the back seat and then looked back at Jimmy. "I'm always glad to learn from another pro."

"Sure," Jimmy agreed, and he was so obviously pleased by the idea that it made Tej grin. "Tomorrow?"

That he was willing to show Brian _any_ of his tricks was enough to tell Tej that Jimmy had already decided he liked Brian. Other mechanics had kissed up to Jimmy for years on the circuit to try and learn his tricks, but Jimmy had seldom let them even watch him work and _never_ offered to teach them anything.

Brian smiled as he replied easily, "Sounds good, just not early. I'm prob'ly gonna sleep half the day. I'm beat, I haven't even _seen_ a bed in a few days."

Tej reached out then to put his hand at the small of Brian's back as he said cheerfully, "Then let's get you into one, baby boy." He gave Brian a gentle push to start him walking, smirking at the little grin Brian gave him. He had seen that grin a thousand times before and it sparked the same heat and need that it always had, making Tej suddenly in a hurry to get Brian alone. He didn't even glance back as he waved vaguely at the others with his free hand and said, "Night, y'all. Lock up when you're done, Jimmy."

"Sure, boss," Jimmy agreed, sounding surprised, and Tej was sure Jimmy hadn't expected him to be quite so open about sleeping with Brian. It was sure to cause him some trouble, mostly with Suki, but Tej wasn't going to live a lie, especially not in his own home. He wasn't ashamed of anything he had ever done with Brian.

Tej didn't look back as he ushered Brian towards his houseboat, still smirking slightly and pleased by the look he had seen in Brian's eyes. After Rick called him earlier, Tej had expected anything but to see Brian so happy and relaxed when he pulled in. Rick had warned Tej to be very careful with Brian, told him Brian had spent the last year going through hell in Chino and it left him broken and scared of being touched even by his own dad, but Tej wasn't seeing it. Brian seemed to welcome Tej's touch just like he always had after they got to know each other, which was completely the opposite of what Rick told Tej to expect and made him wonder if Rick was just trying to keep him away from Brian for some reason. Brian hadn't gotten close to Julio, it was true, but Julio hadn't _tried_ to get near him, and Brian didn't hesitate to shake hands with Jimmy, easy and cheerful about it.

Brian stepped down onto the boat and then stopped and looked at Tej, smiling but not saying anything. Tej stepped down onto the boat with Brian, moving close and then murmuring with a soft smile, "I missed you so damn much, baby."

"I missed you too," Brian agreed quietly, "every day." He swayed closer and leaned down to kiss Tej, soft and sweet, and when he pulled away he was smiling crookedly, blue eyes shining even in the moonlight. "I'm glad I was so worried for nothing."

Tej's eyebrows rose. "What were you worried about?"

"If it would be the same," Brian murmured, his smile fading away along with the light in his eyes. "I spent the last year in Chino and it...  made juvie seem like summer camp. I wasn't sure I would be able to stand being touched at all until you hugged me." He licked his lips and then admitted, "It still feels like coming home."

Tej lifted his hand to Brian's jaw, enjoying the way Brian moved slightly into his touch and trying not to let Brian see how it hurt to realize that Rick might not be completely wrong after all. Brian's eyes had lost their sparkle and gone dark and sad, and Tej wondered when Brian had learned to hide his feelings so well, and more importantly _why_. It hurt to think that Brian was hiding what he was really feeling, and hurt even more that Brian had been made to feel like he _should_ hide. Even right after juvie and losing Rome, Brian had always been as transparent as glass, every emotion plain in his eyes for anyone who cared enough to really look.

"I felt the same way," Tej murmured gently after a few moments as he stroked his thumb across Brian's cheek, grateful that at least there was still no fear in Brian's eyes when he looked at him. He wasn't sure he could take it. "I'm glad you still feel safe with me."

"I do," Brian said softly, leaning a little more into Tej's touch. "Safer than I have in a long, long time."

"I'm glad, baby," Tej murmured. "If I do _anything_ you're not comfortable with, I expect you to tell me."

"I'm sure you'll know," Brian admitted softly. "I've... been kind of a wreck." He closed his eyes, rubbing his cheek against Tej's palm as he whispered, "I almost forgot what it's like for being touched to feel so _good_."

Tej swallowed hard, needing a moment to get control of himself as he blinked quickly a few times, and then Brian's eyes opened to look at him. Tej smiled softly at Brian, sure Brian could see the pain in his eyes but trying to ignore it as he slid his hand around to the back of Brian's neck and murmured, "Then it's way past time I remind you, baby boy." He tugged gently and Brian didn't resist at all, letting him pull Brian down into a slow, loving kiss.

Brian let out a soft little sound after a few moments, sounding almost like it hurt, and then he pulled away suddenly. Tej let him go and watched, concerned that he had triggered a bad memory, but Brian just looked around and then dropped his duffle and the paper bag into the chair beside the nearby doorway. He stepped closer to Tej again without a word then, pulling Tej into his arms as he leaned down for another kiss.

Tej smiled against Brian's lips, relieved and resting one hand on the side of Brian's neck as his other hand settled on Brian's hip, encouraging him to stay close. Brian deepened the kiss after a few moments, and he groaned softly at the way Tej just opened up and let Brian take control, responding hungrily but not asking for anything more than Brian was offering so freely.

They stood there kissing in the moonlight for what seemed like forever to Tej before Brian finally pulled away, breathing hard as he stroked one hand over Tej's back and just stared into his eyes. Tej licked his lips, loving the warmth and need he saw in Brian's eyes as he pressed closer to rub against the erection that was nudging at his belly. Brian's hips jerked slightly against him as Brian gasped, and Tej smirked as he kissed under the corner of Brian's jaw and then licked up to his ear and whispered, "Think you could do somethin' for me, baby boy?"

"Anything," Brian breathed out softly.

Tej bit Brian's earlobe gently, enjoying the way Brian shuddered as his cock twitched against Tej's belly between them, then he murmured, "It's been _way_ too damn long since you fucked me."

Brian groaned softly and pulled back, and Tej barely got a glimpse of Brian's hungry blue eyes before Brian was kissing him like he might devour him. Brian's hands slid down to his ass a few minutes later, stroking and squeezing, and Tej let out a low purr as he tried to press even closer, sucking at Brian's tongue. Brian kissed him hungrily a moment longer and then suddenly slid his hands lower, grabbing Tej's thighs to lift him up high enough his legs were against Brian's sides just above his hips.

Tej laughed into the kiss, ignoring the sudden ache in his bad knee and moving to wrap his arms around Brian's neck as he looked down into Brian's eyes. "Getting impatient, baby?"

Brian licked his lips and then grinned at Tej, starting to walk into the darkened boat. "Tell me you got a bed on this thing."

"I do," Tej agreed, smirking. "Straight ahead, baby."

Brian barely glanced around the dimly lit living room of the boat before he stretched up to kiss Tej again, walking quickly towards the curtained doorway across the room. Tej reached back to shove the curtain aside when it hit his back, tongue stroking against Brian's, and he had just realized Brian wasn't going to stop when Brian ran into the bed and then they were tumbling onto it, both laughing as they bounced. The moonlight streaming in the open blinds on the canal side of the boat was enough to give them light to see by, and Tej was glad to see the light was back in Brian's eyes, making them sparkle.

"Found it," Brian murmured, grinning wide and happy down at Tej.

Tej smirked and was opening his mouth to suggest they should get rid of their clothes when Brian kissed him again, slower and more gently than before. Tej let out a low pleased purr, hips lifting to grind up against Brian, who shuddered, his hips moving slightly in response, and then he pulled back to stare down into Tej's eyes as he murmured, "We forgot to get rid of the damned clothes."

"I was gonna suggest that about the time we fell on the bed," Tej agreed, smirking up at Brian as he lifted his hips in a slow dirty grind again.

Brian groaned, thrusting against him, and then he kissed Tej hard before he pulled away, rolling off of him. He sat up to drag his t-shirt up and off as he murmured, "You keep that up and you'll be waiting until round two for me to fuck you."

Tej's smirk shifted into a wide, pleased grin, unzipping his coveralls as he watched Brian stand to kick off his shoes and start unbuttoning his pants. "I don't remember you having such a hair trigger, baby."

"It's been a _long_ time since I was with someone I really wanted." Brian didn't look at him, pushing down his cargo shorts and underwear and then kicking out of them as he admitted more softly, "The last time was with you."

It had been most of four years since they were together, and Tej hated realizing that Brian had been alone all that time. He had been sure Brian would find someone new after he left, sure he'd be okay, but he realized finally that he'd been lying to himself. Brian was the kind of person who _thrived_ on knowing he was loved and wanted, and it hurt to think of him having to live without that for a few _months_ , much less years. Tej had no idea how Brian had managed to survive a year in Chino with no one waiting for him, nothing to look forward to afterwards but being alone. It was no wonder Rick said he was a wreck.

Tej wanted suddenly to be sure Brian knew how he felt and he scooted to the edge of the bed, shrugging impatiently out of the top half of the coveralls when they fell against his arms and then reaching for Brian's hand. "Baby, look at me." Brian turned towards him, blue eyes gone dark and pained, and Tej wasn't at all surprised that Brian's erection had faded. Thinking about Brian so hurt and alone had killed the mood for him, too. "The last guy I was with was you too, Brian. You're the only guy I've even _wanted_ since the day I met you."

Brian's grip tightened on Tej's hand and he looked away, trying to blink back sudden tears as he whispered roughly, "God, I wish you were the last guy for me." He looked at Tej again, his eyes shining and wet. "I lost count in Chino."

Tej stood, ignoring the way his coveralls slid down to the floor as he reached for Brian to pull him into a hug. Brian curled around him, hiding his wet face against Tej's neck as he held on tight, and Tej closed his eyes against tears of his own as he said, "I'm so sorry, baby."

Tej had thought he was doing the right thing, leaving Brian in Reseda with Rick, but he felt suddenly like he should have made Brian go with him no matter how much Brian disliked the circuit. He had believed Brian was doing fine without him right up until Brian gave up racing, and even that he had convinced himself wasn't a bad thing, not after he called an old racing buddy who told him Brian had nearly died crashing the Trans-Am. Tej had thought he understood when Brian went into the Academy for Rick after that and began to pull away, sure Brian wouldn't be able to give up racing if Tej was still reminding him of it all the time, and he had tried hard to do like Brian seemed to want him to do and let him go. It had hurt more than anything he had ever done except for driving away from Brian to start with.

Brian let out a soft little sad sound. "None of it was your fault."

"Still sorry it happened," Tej murmured, stroking Brian's hair and holding him close. "And I'm sorry I made you think about it."

"I'm _gonna_ think about it," Brian replied softly, pained and sad. "Mostly it's been all I _could_ think about unless I was busy with my car or racing." He shuddered slightly, admitting in such a soft whisper that Tej could barely hear him, "Sometimes I just want it all to be _over_."

Tej pulled back, moving his hand from Brian's hair to his jaw to make Brian look at him and praying Brian didn't mean that like it sounded. "You weren't thinking about it a few minutes ago."

Brian's expression softened as he murmured, "No, nothing mattered then but you." He pressed closer, kissing Tej softly, then pulled back to meet his gaze again. "You always could make me forget _everything_ else."

"Then I'm fallin' down on the job right now, baby," Tej murmured, moving his hand to the back of Brian's neck to pull him down into another kiss.

Brian kissed him slow and easy and Tej didn't try to rush him, just going with it and letting Brian explore his mouth like they might spend the rest of the night kissing. He wanted more, had been wanting Brian back in his arms and his bed ever since he had to leave him behind, but _nothing_ was as important to him as what Brian needed from him. If kissing was what Brian needed, then Tej would go with it and enjoy every moment of it.

Brian's hands began to roam again after a few minutes, stroking over Tej's bare back and then lingering over the scars, exploring with his fingertips in a way that made Tej shudder. Brian pulled back, looking at Tej with concern as his fingers stilled and he murmured softly, "Do the scars hurt still?"

"Not anymore, baby," Tej murmured with a soft little smile. It wasn't completely true, but what Brian was doing didn't hurt at all so he didn't feel bad about it. "Some places are still pretty sensitive, though. In a _good_ way."

Brian smiled suddenly, blue eyes going warm. "Good." He kissed Tej again, fingertips ghosting along the edge of the scars again, and Tej arched slightly into Brian's touch with a soft low groan when Brian found an especially sensitive spot. Brian chuckled into the kiss, fingertips stroking and circling across the ridge of smooth skin as Tej's grip tightened on him and Tej pressed closer, sucking hungrily at his tongue with a little needy sound. Brian teased him a moment longer and then moved on, tracing down over the scars all the way to Tej's hip and then pushing Tej's boxers down to let them fall before he palmed Tej's ass, rubbing and squeezing gently as Tej let out another soft little hungry sound.

Tej broke the kiss after a moment, muttering, "Such a fuckin' tease."

"Love touching you," Brian replied softly, kissing him again. "Those noises you're making get me so damn hard."

Tej bit Brian's lower lip gently, then murmured with a smirk, "Promise I'll be noisy when you fuck me too, baby boy."

Brian let out a low pleased hum, kissing Tej hard and hungry, then he murmured with a wicked little grin, "Prove it."

Tej laughed. "Love to." He pulled away to sit on the edge of the bed and untangle the coveralls from around his boots as he murmured, "Go grab the lube off the kitchen counter, baby."

"Seriously?" Brian asked quietly, surprised and amused. "The _kitchen_?"

Tej looked up, grinning as he untied his boot and loosened the laces so he could get it off. "Told you there haven't been any guys since you, and damn few women, for that matter. I didn't even _have_ rubbers or lube until today." He dropped the boot and then his sock, switching feet as he smirked at Brian. "They're still in the bag with the other stuff I got."

Brian stepped closer, leaning down to kiss him quickly, sucking at Tej's lower lip, then he pulled away to walk into the kitchen, grinning. "Scary how special I feel that you bought them just for me."

Tej watched him go, trying not to think about the pale scars littering Brian's skin as he teased, "You're not gonna top _all_ the time, baby. I plan to use some too." He noticed Brian was still wearing his socks and grinned as he looked down and dragged his boot off and then his own sock, remembering so many nights that Brian had ended up naked in his bed except for his socks. They hadn't bothered with condoms for long before, not after they got tested together at a clinic so they could stop wasting money on them, and he wondered if they would be making a trip for that again soon.

"Looking forward to it," Brian said as he walked back into the bedroom, looking serious again. Tej worried for a moment that he had spoken aloud before Brian added more softly, "I can't wait for you to remind me what it's like to be with someone who loves me."

"Next round, then," Tej murmured, smiling again.

Tej wanted to distract Brian from remembering what it had been like with other men, and it only took him a moment to decide how. Brian had been used badly in Chino, but there was one thing Tej could do that he was pretty sure would have no memories of Chino at all attached to it. He reached out to grab Brian's hips and tug him closer as he leaned to lick the tip of Brian's cock, making Brian gasp as it moved against Tej's lips. He moved one hand to hold Brian's cock steady and licked across the tip again, enjoying the low noise Brian made.

"Not that I'm complaining," Brian murmured huskily, "but I didn't think you wanted to suck me off first."

Tej smirked up at Brian and then sucked the head of Brian's cock into his mouth, tongue swirling against the underside as Brian groaned softly, then Tej sucked hard as he pulled off with a wet pop. "Just making sure you're good and hard for me, baby boy."

Brian let out a strangled little laugh, watching Tej with desire and something more making his blue eyes intense. "That's _not_ gonna be a problem."

Tej grinned. "Good, 'cause I want you balls deep in me like five minutes ago."

Brian bent down to kiss Tej hard and hungry, earning a low groan from Tej after a moment, then Brian pulled away and murmured with a smirk, "Then get your fine ass the rest of the way up onto the bed unless you want me to do you right here."

Tej laughed softly, giving Brian's cock a twisting pull that made his hips move slightly, then he kicked out of his coveralls and boxers and scooted back to get comfortable against the pillows. "C'mon, baby."

Brian tossed the bottle of lube and the box of Trojans onto the bed by Tej's hip and then climbed onto the bed, and Tej spread his legs gladly for Brian to move between them, sitting up as he reached for Brian to pull him into another kiss. Brian was smiling as he pressed closer, pushing Tej back down onto the bed without ever breaking the kiss as Tej let out a low pleased purr and shifted to brace his left foot on the bed and grind up against him.

Brian groaned, hips flexing, then pulled back and grinned at Tej. "Can't wait, huh?"

"I been waitin' for this for _years_ , baby boy," Tej said with little smile. "Now I got you here, I'm fed up plumb full with waitin'."

"Gonna be full of something else soon," Brian promised, kissing him again and then settling back onto his heels as he reached for the lube and started to unwrap the plastic outer seal off the cap.

"Promises, promises," Tej murmured, smirking as he grabbed the box of condoms to get one out.

Brian watched him toss the box into the floor next to the bed, smiling as he drizzled lube onto his fingers and asked softly, "Is your knee gonna bother you?"

"Nope," Tej said firmly, sitting up and leaning to kiss Brian quick and hungry. He smirked at him, opening the condom and then reaching for Brian's cock, stroking it firmly a couple times and then starting to roll the condom on as he murmured, "Gonna put that leg over your shoulder this time. As long as I'm not bending the knee too far it oughta be fine."

"Good," Brian murmured, shuddering slightly at the sensation as he watched Tej putting the condom onto his cock.

Tej took the lube from Brian and slicked up the condom, smirking at the soft little noise Brian made, and then he capped the bottle and dropped it by the condoms in the floor as he settled back on the bed again. Brian reached for Tej's right leg, helping settle it on his shoulder, and then leaned forward against it as he looked at Tej and murmured, "Gonna take my time fingering you, since it's been so long."

"Probably a good idea," Tej agreed, reaching for Brian to urge him to lean down more as he murmured with a smirk, "I'm still bendy, though. Get down here."

Brian grinned and leaned more against Tej's leg as he glanced down to get his fingers lined up and then met Tej's gaze again and let Tej pull him down as he murmured, "Always loved this part." He kissed Tej then, licking into his mouth to explore as his fingertips stroked against Tej's ass for a moment before he pressed one finger into him slow and easy.

Tej hummed into Brian's mouth, enjoying the slow deep kisses Brian was giving him, but after Brian teased him with just his fingertip for a few minutes, twisting and stroking without going in deep, Tej was getting impatient and trying to lift his hips. He remembered then why he had never liked putting his legs on Brian's shoulders. With Brian leaning against his right calf and thigh he had pretty much no leverage, making him have to let Brian do as he said he wanted to and take his time. He braced his left foot against the bed and tried to thrust up anyway, but all he managed to do was just lift Brian too.

Brian chuckled, sucking gently at Tej's lower lip and then murmuring teasingly, "Getting a little impatient, baby?"

"Try a _lot_ impatient," Tej corrected with a soft laugh. "I'm not made of _glass_ , damn."

"Glass wouldn't be so hot and tight," Brian agreed, smirking. He pressed his finger deeper, earning a low groan from Tej as he added, "I'll stop teasing you so much, though."

Tej's back arched as Brian's finger flexed, stroking across that spot inside him and triggering a spike of pure pleasure that made him gasp. Brian chuckled softly again, leaning down to kiss Tej as he twisted his finger and then rubbed against Tej's prostate again, this time going more slowly and making Tej shudder and moan into his mouth. He began to really work on stretching Tej then, pulling his finger back to go back in with two, and Tej was soon making soft little hungry noises, his hips moving with every flex of Brian's fingers as Brian kept going back to that spot.

Brian pulled back to watch after a few minutes, blue eyes intense and hungry as he watched the way Tej arched, groaning soft and low. He didn't tease at all anymore after that, fingers flexing and spreading several times before Tej met his gaze and growled softly, "Fuck me already."

"Okay," Brian agreed quietly, leaning to kiss Tej quickly as he tugged his fingers free and then pulling back a little as he shifted on the bed.

Tej felt Brian's cock nudging against his ass a moment later and then groaned as it slowly slid into him, his back arching as he tried to lift his hips. Brian began to pull back and then thrust in again slow and easy, going a little deeper each time, and Tej was barely aware he was speaking out loud as he murmured, "Missed this so fuckin' much."

"Me too." Brian was watching Tej intently, loving the intense pleasure on Tej's face and the way Tej was trying to move to meet every flex of his hips. "So perfect."

"Yeah," Tej agreed, reaching up to grab the back of Brian's neck and pull him down into a hungry kiss. Brian began to relax his careful control and put a little more muscle into it, and Tej was making soft noises with every thrust when he felt Brian's hand close around his almost painfully hard cock. He moaned at the doubled sensations of Brian thrusting balls deep into him, every stroke dragging against his prostate, and Brian's strong work-roughened hand jerking him off. Brian came with a shuddering groan a little while later and then Tej was following him with a low ragged whine, hips flexing with each pulse of his cock.

Brian leaned down to kiss Tej after a few moments, both of them still breathing raggedly, and then Brian was pulling away. Tej made a low unhappy noise when Brian pulled out, then Brian was gently lowering his bad leg to the bed as Tej finally noticed his knee wasn't exactly happy with him. He tried to ignore the pain, concentrating on Brian instead as he watched Brian tug off the condom and then move off the bed. "Where you going, baby?" Tej asked softly, concerned.

"Be right back," Brian murmured with a quick little smile, and then he was walking out of the bedroom.

Tej shifted his bad leg to get more comfortable, wincing at a stab of pain in the knee as he flexed it, but once he had it settled just right the pain started to fade and he relaxed. He was just starting to think he should go after Brian when Brian walked back into the bedroom with his duffle in one hand and a wash rag in the other. Brian dropped his bag in the floor and then moved to kneel on the side of the bed near Tej, smiling lovingly as he reached out to run the warm damp rag over Tej's chest and belly, cleaning up the pale streaks Tej hadn't really even noticed until Brian was already wiping them away.

"Thanks, baby," Tej murmured softly, smiling. Usually Tej had been the one to handle the clean up after sex when they were together, and it wasn't the kind of thing Tej would have willingly let _anyone_ else do for him, but with Brian it didn't bother him. He shifted his good leg to let Brian get to his ass easier, unable to keep back a soft noise at the feel of the washcloth against delicate skin that was still hyper-sensitive, and then Brian was tossing the rag towards the hamper in the corner.

Brian leaned to kiss him slow and easy, and when Brian finally ended the kiss he pulled away only a few inches, staring into Tej's eyes as he said quietly, "It's crazy that I just came and kissing you makes me already want you again."

"If that's crazy, baby, we can be crazy together," Tej murmured, smiling as he reached for Brian to tug him closer.

"God, I missed you," Brian whispered, moving to kiss Tej so lovingly that it made Tej's heart clench in his chest and he let out a low noise that was almost pained.

Brian finally ended the kiss a moment later, and Tej gently brushed back Brian's shaggy curls as he whispered, "Stay with me, Brian."

"Got nowhere else I want to be tonight," Brian murmured, leaning to kiss him again and then giving Tej a sweet little smile.

"I wasn't talkin' just tonight, baby boy," Tej murmured, stroking Brian's jaw lightly with his fingertips. "I've missed you so damn much, you have no idea. Hardest thing I ever did was leavin' you."

"No, I think I know," Brain disagreed, leaning into Tej's touch. "It was just as hard letting you go. I was proud of you and so happy that you got your dream, but I missed you so bad after you walked away."

Tej pushed up off the bed with his free hand, drawing Brian closer with the hand on his jaw for another slow loving kiss, then he whispered, "I won't _ever_ leave you behind again, Brian."

Brian just smiled, blue eyes sparkling bright as he kissed Tej again instead of trying to talk, and it only took Tej a few moments to decide Brian had the right idea.

Talking was overrated.

 

~*~*~

 

It was nearly two the next afternoon when Tej and Brian finally got hungry enough to leave the bed, heading for the garage and walking in one of the open back doors. Brian hesitated just inside the door as he looked around, surprised and obviously unsure.

Tej moved closer to look past Brian as he rested his hand reassuringly at the small of Brian's back and checked who was there, not really surprised to see so many of the regulars. Word had surely circulated already that Tej's new driver had arrived, and it wouldn't surprise him at all if half the racers in the city knew Tej had spent the night with him, too. If they didn't before, they would soon. Suki was there with her girls and they were the biggest gossips in Miami.

Julio was there at one of the tables with Jack, Jack's girl Rachel, and Suki's friend who helped out with the computers, Kali. A few of Suki's girls were leaning into her Honda nearby watching as Suki did something with the computer, Michelle next to her in the passenger seat leaning over close to watch too. Rico was in the wash bay but he wasn't really doing anything, just standing there with a bottle of SoBe and supervising as Rabbit waxed Jack's car. Jimmy was looking under the hood of a dark green GTO out in the open bay, talking quietly with someone Tej didn't recognize as he inspected the car's engine with a practiced eye.

Tej looked at Brian as he moved up next to him and saw Brian's uncertainty, blue eyes a little wary, and he immediately murmured, "Why don't we take your pony out, baby boy, go get something to eat?"

Brian looked at Tej, smiling suddenly with a relieved look in his eyes. "Sounds good, I'm starving."

"Then that's what we'll do," Tej murmured, smiling warmly at Brian, his hand still on Brian's back. He glanced towards the private bay in the corner behind the wash rack, which he had built into the garage just to keep his personal racing car secure, and smiled a little wider when he saw it was open with Brian's gleaming silver Mustang parked neatly next to the darker gunmetal grey Skyline, which looked very ordinary in comparison. He looked towards the GTO again calling out, "Hey Jimmy! What'd you do with the Mustang's keys?"

Everyone looked towards Tej and Brian then, most of them looking surprised, but Tej just looked at Jimmy and pretended not to notice it or the way Brian shifted a little closer to him. "I still got 'em," Jimmy called back, "just a sec." He looked at the guy who was standing close by, murmuring something to him, then walked quickly towards Tej and Brian.

The garage had fallen silent as Jimmy walked over to them and Tej was sure Jimmy was just as aware as he was of the way everyone was listening interestedly. Jimmy smiled at Brian when he got close, reaching into his pocket for Brian's keys and then holding them out as he said, "I filled the tank and topped off the fluids while I was checking her out her last night, she was a little low on coolant."

"I crossed a lot of desert the last few days," Brian replied as he accepted the keys, smiling. "What did you think of her?"

Jimmy grinned. "You did _awesome_ on her, Bullitt. She is _choice_."

Brian grinned at Jimmy, pleased and seemingly forgetting their audience. "You really think so, man?"

"Wouldn't say it if it wasn't true," Jimmy said quickly, grinning a little wider. "She handles like a _dream_ , and you're gonna have to show me how you got her jumping up off the line like that, it's _wild_."

Brian laughed, blue eyes brightening. "She's got a trunk full of tools and spare parts. All the extra weight is popping the front end up any time you really kick her right now." He grinned. "She'll do it empty, too, but you gotta work harder for it."

Jimmy laughed. "I'm still gonna hold you to showing me your tricks, brother. I saw a lot under her hood I want to know more about."

"Glad to," Brian agreed, still grinning wide and happy, and Tej said a silent little prayer of thanks for Jimmy. "I'll be wanting to learn from you too, though. Tej tells me you're the best there is."

"I'm good," Jimmy admitted, smiling, "but there's still stuff I got to learn." He jerked his head towards the Mustang. "She's proof. You've done some stuff on her I never seen before."

"There's a lot I don't know too," Brian pointed out. His grin faded away, and Tej wondered what he was thinking about. "Guy I used to know was raised on ten second cars. He taught me most of his tricks and I used them all on her."

Jimmy grinned. "Whoever he is, he taught you good. That pony is _definitely_ a ten second car."

"She'll do nine if I get everything exactly right," Brian admitted. "Back in the day, Tej could have probably gotten eight out of her. I'm not fast enough for it."

Tej laughed. "Don't even front, baby. You beat me near as often as I won when we raced each other."

"That was the cars, though," Brian said. "You kept giving me the faster one to run against you."

Tej grinned a little bit wickedly. "I like how _excited_ you get when you win, baby boy."

Brian grinned. "You should get me in some races, then. Haven't lost yet in the Mustang."

Tej smirked. "Oh yeah. I _gotta_ get you on the street."

"You know me," Brian murmured, grinning wider. "Just tell me when and where you want me and I'm there."

Jimmy laughed and said softly, "Something tells me you're not talking cars anymore, which makes that my cue to go back to work." Brian blushed slightly, laughing, and Jimmy smirked at Tej. "Go on, boss. Get him out of here. I got things under control."

"Thanks, Jimmy," Tej said easily, smirking. "Remind me to give you a raise."

"What would I do with more money?" Jimmy asked, laughing as he turned away. "Let me borrow Bullitt later instead, I want to hear what he thinks of the Skyline."

"It's a deal." Tej was grinning as he gave Brian a little push towards the private bay, adding more softly, "C'mon, baby. I'm starving."

"Me too," Brian agreed, starting towards the Mustang with a pleased grin and not even thinking anymore about the way people were still watching them.

 

~*~*~

 

Tej was sprawled in his favorite chair at his table late that night, smiling as he watched Jimmy and Brian leaning under the hood of the Skyline together, deep in discussion about something. He couldn't hear them, but he didn't need to. Brian was in the zone and so was Jimmy, and nothing existed for them for the moment except for the car and each other, and he was glad to see it even if it meant they were ignoring him completely.

Tej had been glad to see Brian didn't mind the crowds while they were out having lunch at his favorite barbecue place out by the beach, and by the time they returned to the garage most of the people loitering there had cleared out. Jimmy had told Suki in front of her girls that Tej and Brian would be gone all day and she had stormed off in a tizzy, taking the girls with her. Jack and Julio had left soon after that, bored with hanging around without the girls to watch, and when Tej and Brian returned it had been just Jimmy still there working. Rico and Rabbit only handled washing cars and doing tires or routine maintenance Jimmy and Tej didn't want to be bothered with, and there were none on the roster for the day so Jimmy had sent them off in Tej's pickup to hunt down several parts for the Skyline.

After lunch Brian and Tej had spent half an hour or so unloading the crates of tools and extra parts for the Mustang out of her trunk into an empty corner of the private bay. Brian was getting quiet and a little tense by the time he and Tej sat down at the table after they unloaded the Mustang, though Tej wasn't sure why, and then Brian had surprised Tej by quietly asking him to put him to work so Brian could get out of his head. Tej didn't argue at all, relieved that Brian had told him what he needed, and headed over to where Jimmy was replacing the head gaskets on the GTO he had been looking at that morning. Half an hour later Brian was under a pale green Civic he had up on one of the lifts, relaxed and calm again as he worked on the suspension while Tej sat at the table nearby with his laptop, taking care of paperwork.

Jimmy had noticed the change in Brian while he worked too, and after Brian finished the Civic he hadn't bothered to ask Tej before he pointed Brian towards a Nissan 240SX that was in to have a problem with the cooling system fixed. Tej had finished his paperwork soon after that and picked out a car to work on too, and the rest of the afternoon and evening went by quickly for them all. Tej had glanced over to check on Brian often and usually found him working with that little half smile that Brian always got when he was in the zone, oblivious to everything but the car in front of him, and by the time they were done for the day Tej was planning to have Jimmy make sure there was always something around the garage for Brian to work on when he needed it.

Tej was so absorbed in watching Jimmy and Brian talk that he didn't hear a car pull up into the lot, so it surprised him when Suki was suddenly in front of him, upset and looking like she had been crying. "Baby girl, what's wrong?" he murmured, concerned. "Are you okay?"

Suki stared at him a moment, her unhappy frown fading into confusion, then asked softly, "What do you even want from me, Tej?"

Tej stared at Suki a moment and then stood and offered her his hand. "We _obviously_ need to talk."

Suki hesitated and then finally took his hand as she said softly, "Alright."

Tej led her towards the back of the garage, calling a little loudly, "Suki and I need some time to talk, baby boy. You stick with Jimmy, I'll be back."

Brian and Jimmy both looked up, surprised. "I'll be here," Brian agreed with a quick smile. "Take your time, we're just getting started." Jimmy just grinned and nodded and went back to whatever he had been talking to Brian about, and Brian looked back at Jimmy as he listened, intent and curious.

Tej led Suki out to the party barge and sat in one of the chairs, turned mostly sideways with his bad leg stretched out, his left foot tucked up under him in the chair. "Have a seat, Suki darlin'."

Suki sat down in the chair he was facing, frowning again. "I'm _not_ your darling anymore, not if you're sleeping with _him_."

Tej sighed softly. "I was _always_ honest with you. I told you about him when you asked if I had ever been in love." That was actually what had made him decide to find out where Brian was and if he was alright. He paused, considering how honest to be, and then decided he'd rather know her reaction now and added quietly, "Me and Bri, we got a lot of history and I won't ever just _forget_ that we were together for a couple _years_ , Suki. I'm not made like that."

"So what, you just expect me to _share_ you?" Suki asked, upset. "He breezes into town and decides he wants you back and I'm just supposed to be your girl on the side, all smiles while you're fucking _him_ every night?"

"It's not like that," Tej said, frowning. "And it's not like you're really _with me_ anyway. You've turned me down every time I tried to get a date with you."

Suki glared at him. "I'm not sleeping with anyone who expects me to _share him_."

"Brian just got here," Tej pointed out quietly, trying hard not to get mad too. It wouldn't help, he knew. "What was your excuse for tellin' me no when I wanted to take you out last week?" He snorted softly. "Or last _month_? You hang around here tellin' everyone that I'm your private property, but you're so busy with your _girls_ you won't even go to lunch with me. I even tried _beggin'_ you and I never begged anyone else for anything in my damn _life_."

Suki glared at him a few moments longer and then her shoulders slumped as she settled back into the chair, looking away at the water. "You never even _look_ at other girls. I... thought there was time for us to get on the same page."

"I'm not even sure what _book_ you're readin' from," Tej said more gently, making her look at him. "I got not prayer of figurin' out the page you're on unless you start _talking_ to me."

Suki just gazed into Tej's eyes for a little while before she finally said sadly, "You'd probably think it was just a silly romance novel anyway."

Tej smiled crookedly, thinking about the ring box hidden in his only pair of dress socks. "For the right person I can get pretty silly and romantic myself, baby girl."

"But is that me or him?" Suki asked, her eyes starting to shine a little too brightly. "Or someone else I won't know about until they show up?"

"There's _no one_ else, Suki," Tej said, quiet but firm. "Never has been, not really. You're the _only_ girl I want." He paused and then added more softly, "And there's never been any other guys, either. Just Brian."

"So you really do expect me to _share you_ with him?" Suki asked softly, lifting one hand to wipe at her eyes.

Tej couldn't do anything but be honest and hope she loved him enough to try to understand. "I hate myself for hurtin' you even a _little bit_ , but right now he needs me a lot more than you do." He hesitated and then added softly, "He's hidin' it pretty good most of the time, but they _broke_ him, baby. If I don't help him get past the shit that he went through this last year, help him remember all he has to live for, I'm afraid we might lose him."

"What happened to him?" Suki asked, wiping her eyes again.

Tej hesitated and then murmured, "You can't tell _anyone_ , okay?"

Suki nodded. "Promise. Not a soul."

"Brian just got out of prison and they hurt him really bad in there," Tej said softly, pained and sad as he looked away. "He's near as scarred up as I am, they were so rough on him." He looked back at Suki. "He told me last night that he had forgotten what it was like to be touched and have it feel _good_ , baby. The last time was with me, and that was _years_ ago." He swallowed hard, blinking a few times to clear his eyes and glad the tears stinging them didn't quite fall, then murmured, "He just _needs_ _me_ so damn bad right now. I can't turn away."

Suki stared at him for a few moments, wiping her eyes again, then finally whispered, "Okay, baby. You do what you have to do, and I'll try not to hate either of you for it."

Tej reached for her hand, tangling their fingers together. "I'm sorry it hurts you. I just...  I _gotta_ try and help him get past this, baby. He's the best friend I ever had."

"Is that all he is?" Suki asked, wiping her eyes again with her free hand. "'Cause from where I'm sitting, it's looking like _he's_ the one you're in love with."

Tej couldn't lie to her. "I fell for him right from the start, baby girl." He tightened his grip on her hand. "Just like I fell hard for you that night you were broke down and I happened to go by." He wanted to make her understand, but he wasn't sure how other than being honest. "It's not about lovin' him more than you, baby. He just needs me takin' care of him right now, more than he even _realizes_ he does, and I made him a promise a long time ago that I would _always_ be there for him when he needed me."

Suki stared into his eyes for a few moments and then suddenly let go of his hand and stood as she said softly, "Baby, right now _I_ need for you to hold me. Can you do that for me?"

Tej was surprised, she had barely even let him hold her hand yet, but he didn't hesitate at all as he turned in the chair to put his left foot down, holding his arms out to her. "Of course I will, darlin'. Gladly. Come here."

Suki sat sideways in his lap without a word, draping her legs up over the arm of the chair and sliding her arms around him as she laid her head on his shoulder.

Tej wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head, savoring the chance to finally hold her as he whispered softly, "I'm so sorry for all this, baby. I _do_ love you, I don't even have _words_ for how much, but I just can't turn my back on him."

Suki was still and quiet for long enough he didn't think she was going to answer at all, and then she whispered, "I love you too, Tej."

Tej closed his eyes, tightening his arms around her slightly. He had hoped she felt the same way, thought maybe she really did, but it was still a relief to hear her say it. "Long as we remember that, we can get through this."

Suki nodded slightly and then they were silent and still, just holding on to each other.

Tej wasn't sure what tomorrow would bring, but he knew one thing like he knew his own name.

He didn't want to lose Suki _or_ Brian.

 

~*~*~

 

Tej was sprawled in bed with Brian's cheek in the middle of his chest right over his heart later that night when Brian asked softly, "Why were you and Suki crying earlier?"

Tej stared up at the ceiling, running his fingertips slowly along Brian's upper arm as he replied quietly, "She was upset, and you know me, baby boy. I don't let people I love cry alone."

Brian lifted his head then and Tej met his gaze as Brian said quietly, "Yeah, I _did_ know that. Now you can answer the question. What was she crying about?"

Tej sighed softly. "She didn't understand. She got it in her head that me sleepin' with you meant I don't really love her."

"I thought so," Brian murmured, pained. "I'll move up into the garage tomorrow."

"No, you won't," Tej said firmly, frowning. "You said this morning you slept better here than you have in _years_."

"I did," Brian admitted quietly, "but you _love_ her. I won't make you lose that."

"I love _you_ too," Tej pointed out, "and besides, me and Suki straightened it out. She understands that I need to take care of you right now, and it's not like me and her are really _together_ anyway."

"I don't want to hurt her, Tej," Brian said softly, sad and pained.

"Just give it some time," Tej murmured. "She'll be okay, baby."

Brian looked into his eyes for a few moments and then said quietly, "A few days, but if she's not doing better by then I'm getting my own place."

"If one of us needs to go, then _I'll_ go," Tej corrected. "I already have a house a few miles from here, I just haven't been bothering to go there." He moved his hand to stroke Brian's hair, adding softly, "And I want you here where you feel safe, baby. I can sleep anywhere."

"Alright," Brian agreed, laying his cheek against Tej's chest again. He was silent for a few minutes before he murmured, "She and I should be _family_ , Tej."

"You will be," Tej replied quietly, stroking Brian's hair again and praying that he wasn't lying to him.

 

~*~*~

 

Tej slept with Brian again the next night, but Suki was obviously upset the next day and Brian felt so bad that Tej let himself be talked into going to his house the fourth night Brian was in Miami.

Despite what Tej had told Brian about sleeping anywhere, he couldn't sleep at all and laid awake all night in his empty house, missing his boat and the quiet sounds of the water and the way it rocked him to sleep right up until he finally ended up dozing off just before dawn. He had remembered to set his alarm and made it to work just before they opened at ten, and then he had a good day working with Brian, who stuck close to him and seemed to be doing fine, smiling and relaxed all day.

Suki was smiling too when she came in late that evening and Brian quickly made himself scarce, working on rerouting some wiring in the Skyline to make room for the Nos system they were going to add. Tej and Suki had talked quietly together for over an hour before she left for the night, and she seemed to be doing a lot better with everything even though she caught him watching Brian work several times.

Tej considered the day a win and went home smiling that night even though he really wanted to be with Brian on his boat instead. He still couldn't sleep, though, and he forgot to set the alarm too so he woke up well after eleven, tired and grumpy. He was on the way to the garage when he saw Suki's car parked at a Starbucks and decided he desperately needed coffee and some food. It was almost noon by then anyway, and he figured he could afford half an hour to have some breakfast.

Tej parked his pickup next to Suki's car and walked inside to order a triple espresso and a cinnamon roll, then walked over to sit with her where she was at a table drawing. He was pleased by how glad she was to see him and enjoyed the chance to just be with her for a little while, lingering over the cinnamon roll and his coffee while they talked. He didn't realize how long they had been talking until she told him she had to go and he realized he had been there over an hour. She had to get to her mom's nail salon to help out with a special client who wanted something fancy for her fingernails, which was what she had been drawing. She kissed him before she left, the kind of kiss that left him half hard and wanting a lot more, and he climbed into his truck grinning and thinking that maybe sleeping - or really _not_ sleeping - in that empty house was worth it after all.

It was well after one when Tej parked his truck at the side of the garage and headed inside, still grinning and feeling pretty pleased with life for the moment even if he was several _hours_ late. He was the boss so he was allowed, and he knew Jimmy didn't _need_ him anyway. Jimmy didn't much like running a garage by himself, he preferred being a mechanic and leaving the rest to Tej, but Jimmy could do it all in his sleep when he needed to. He had been the one to teach _Tej_ how to run the place.

Jimmy was near the back of the garage under the hood of a distinctive yellow and purple Chevy Luv pickup that had the hardtop off. He was reaching down into the guts of the truck with Brian on a mechanic's dolly underneath it at the same time, and Tej wondered what the problem was. He had just worked on the Luv, which belonged to Julio's older brother Oscar, a few weeks earlier. Oscar kept having trouble with the truck randomly just refusing to start the last time and didn't want to work on his own truck after working all day as a diesel mechanic, so Tej had Julio bring it in and traced it pretty quickly to a faulty solenoid. The truck started right up a dozen times after he replaced it, so he had sent Julio to take it back to Oscar and hadn't heard anything else about it.

As Tej walked further into the garage he realized Michelle was crouched next to the Luv talking to Brian, and the expression on her face made him sure that whatever she was there about, it was nothing good. Michelle said something then that he couldn't hear, but whatever it was it made Brian roll out from under the Luv and then walk away quickly, heading out of the nearby back door.

"You need to go," Jimmy said firmly, giving Michelle a hard glare that made Tej frown. He wasn't sure he had _ever_ seen Jimmy mad before, but he definitely was now. "Just get the Hell out of my garage."

" _You_ may think it's okay he's helping Tej cheat on her, but _I_ don't," Michelle said pointedly, glaring right back at Jimmy.

Jimmy snorted. "Suki's done nothing but turn Tej down since he met her. If she wanted Tej, she should have said something _before_ he was taken."

"She _did_ , Jimmy," Michelle said angrily. " _Everyone_ knows she's crazy about him!"

"Does she know you're here?" Tej asked suddenly, making Jimmy and Michelle both look at him in surprise. He realized they hadn't noticed him walking up then, but he didn't care as he frowned at Michelle, waiting for an answer. He had seen Suki texting a few times while they were talking, and he wasn't sure what he would do if she had sent Michelle to harass Brian while she kept Tej busy away from him. Just the _idea_ made him angry at her.

"She's been too busy _crying her eyes out_ all day to care what I do," Michelle said sharply, glaring at Tej.

"Bullshit," Tej said with a snort. "Suki's not crying, you damn _drama queen_."

"Fuck you, Tej!" Michelle said quickly, angry. "How would _you_ know anyway? You've been too busy fucking around with some random _guy_ to care what she's going through because of you."

"I know because I just ate lunch with her," Tej said dryly. "And going by the kiss she gave me after we left Starbucks, she can't be _too_ upset with me. I can _still_ taste her caramel macchiato."

Michelle stared at him as Jimmy said suddenly, "I don't even _care_ what Suki wants." Michelle and Tej both looked at him in surprise as Jimmy gave Michelle a hard look and said firmly, "I meant what I said, Michelle. Get out."

"You can't kick me out, it's _Tej's_ garage," Michelle said quickly, scowling. "You're just the _hired help_!"

"If Jimmy wants you out, you get out," Tej said firmly. "Going by the way Brian reacted to whatever you said to him, you want gone before I find out what it was anyway."

"She called him a whore," Jimmy said, still annoyed. "And you got ten seconds to get out, Michelle, then I'll _throw_ you out."

"No, fuck that," Tej said, scowling and angry. "Try _two_ seconds, bitch, before _I_ forget I don't hit women. _Nobody_ treats him like that."

Michelle glared at Tej and then turned away without a word and stalked quickly out of the garage.

"And don't come back," Jimmy called after her.

Michelle flipped Jimmy off and then got into her little Tracker and drove away.

Jimmy looked at Tej then and said quietly, "You're gonna have to have another talk with Suki, boss, find out if she was behind that. If she was, she doesn't need to be around here anymore either."

Tej stared at Jimmy, surprised. "I always thought you _liked_ Suki."

"I like Brian more," Jimmy replied very quietly, "and he _needs you_." He turned back towards the Luv, adding in a more normal tone, "You should go find him. I still can't figure out why this truck only starts about half the time, but Bri said he's seen the same problem before."

"Sorry," Brian said quietly, walking quickly past Tej towards the truck, and Tej realized he had been right outside. Brian moved back to the dolly, not looking at Tej or Jimmy as he laid down on it and rolled back under the Luv. "Last time it was a loose wire that had gotten scraped down to the copper somehow. Every time the truck hit a bump the wire would shift, and when it was touching metal it would short out the solenoid and starter."

"That actually makes sense with how it's been acting," Jimmy said, making a face. "Only problem is there are half a dozen wires to check that could do that, and they run all over."

"Yeah, you might as well go work on something else," Brian agreed. "It might take me hours to find it."

"I'll help, baby," Tej said quietly, moving towards the Luv.

"If we all look, it'll go faster," Jimmy pointed out, leaning into the side of the hood to get a better view as he reached in to start tracing the ground wire from the battery down with his fingertips, feeling for damage.

Tej moved to the front of the hood to start doing the same thing without another word, checking the wires that ran down to the solenoid. He _was_ going to have another long talk with Suki the next time he saw her, but he didn't want to stop then to call her. She didn't interrupt him while he was working, and he tried not to bother her either. Her job took a lot of delicate skill, painting tiny intricate designs on fingernails, and the last thing she needed was to worry about her cell phone.

 

~*~*~

 

Brian was quiet the rest of the day, losing himself in working on anything Jimmy or Tej pointed him at but not saying a whole lot. He was avoiding having to talk at all when he could, and when they did make him talk he didn't have much to say, keeping his attention completely on work.

By the time Suki pulled her Honda into the garage just after eight, Tej was pretty worried about Brian, but the worry was turning into anger at Michelle and even Suki. Tej noticed the Honda just before Suki parked it near his table, and when he realized Michelle was in the passenger seat, he forgot all about the paperwork he had been doing. He jumped up to stalk towards Suki's car as he said angrily, "Oh _Hell_ no."

Suki stared at him, shocked and confused as she said, "What, baby?"

Tej ignored Suki, glaring at Michelle as he said firmly, "Get the _fuck_ out of my garage, woman. You make me tell you again and I'm calling the goddamn _cops_."

Michelle looked at Suki instead of making a move to leave, and Suki gave her a dirty look. "Michelle, what did you do?"

"She came to _my garage_ while we were at Starbucks and treated Brian like _shit_ ," Tej said sharply, looking at Suki. "And she blamed it on _you_. If that was really your idea, me and you are going to have _words_ , Suki."

Suki looked at Michelle, surprised and annoyed. "What did you say to him?"

"Nothing that isn't true!" Michelle said quickly, scowling. "He _is_ a cheating whore!"

"That is _it!_ " Tej moved quickly around to the Honda's passenger door and opened it, pointing towards the street as he glared at Michelle. "Carry your skanky ass out of my garage! If you're here in _five seconds_ , I'm calling the cops, I swear to God."

Michelle looked at Suki, still scowling, and Suki said sharply, "You heard him, bitch. Get the Hell out of my car. And don't bother calling me anymore, either. We are _done_."

Michelle climbed out of the car and started towards the road as she said bitingly, "Fine! You _deserve_ each other!"

Suki watched her go until Michelle was crossing the lot towards the street and then she looked at Tej. He met her gaze, frowning and angry still, and she asked softly, "Are you really mad at _me_ , too? I didn't even know she was here."

"That depends," Tej said quickly, still frowning. "Are you gonna say that kind of shit to Brian too? 'Cause I am _not_ gonna put up with that kind of bullshit, not from _anyone_."

"I hadn't planned to," Suki murmured, looking a little sad. "I was kind of hoping I could steal you away to go out to dinner."

Tej looked at her a moment and then turned his attention across the garage towards where Brian had been working on the Skyline, and he sighed when he saw Brian was gone. He looked back at Suki, meeting her gaze as he said quietly, "Lemme check on Brian first. He's been havin' a real bad day, I'm not sure if I should leave him."

Suki nodded, looking down at her steering wheel as she finally turned off her car. "I'll wait."

"We could take him with us," Tej offered, hating himself a little for how unhappy she looked.

Suki swallowed hard, then murmured, "If that's what you need me to do." She looked up, meeting his gaze as she added softly, "I was hoping we could be _alone_ though. I had fun at lunch."

"I did too, baby," Tej admitted. "Let me go find him, see what I'm dealing with." He didn't wait for her to answer, turning away to head for the back door.

Brian wasn't out on the pier or the party barge, but he could see a light on in the bedroom in the boat so Tej walked quickly towards the boat's entry deck and stepped down onto it, ducking past the curtain into the doorway. He was almost across the room to the bedroom door before Brian murmured, "You didn't have to come after me."

Tej looked towards his voice and saw Brian was sitting on the end of the old couch in the dimly lit room, his feet up in the seat and his knees against his chest, both arms wrapped around them. He hadn't seen Brian sitting like that since just after juvie, when Brian used to wad himself up into as tight a ball as he could most of the time. Brian had tried to pretend nothing was wrong then, too, right up until Tej caught Brian crying late one night on Tej's couch when he thought Tej was already asleep. Tej had told Brian about his own stint in juvie then, and Brian had finally started to open up to him about juvie and how bad he missed Rome.

Brian rubbed at his face. "Stop looking at me like that. I'm _fine_."

"Bullshit," Tej said quietly, walking over to sit on the couch next to Brian. He reached out to brush back Brian's unruly curls, noticing the dark circles under Brian's eyes and how tired he looked as he murmured softly, "You look like Hell, baby boy."

Brian let out a tiny little huff of a laugh, propping his chin on his knee as he met Tej's gaze. "It's been a _long_ day."

"I'm sorry," Tej murmured, stroking Brian's hair again. "If she comes back, she's going to jail. I won't have anyone around here that treats you like that."

"Jimmy said the same thing earlier," Brian murmured, leaning into Tej's touch slightly as he closed his eyes. "I think he likes me."

"He does," Tej agreed, still slowly stroking Brian's hair. They hadn't touched much that day and he had missed it, but Brian had obviously missed it even more. Tej could _see_ the tension easing out of Brian's body as he started to relax, and after a moment he asked softly, "Did something else happen today, baby? Before I got in?"

Brian shook his head very slightly, opening his eyes. "No, it was just me and Jimmy this morning until that girl showed up and started in on me." He bit his lip, then asked softly, "Did Suki really send her to talk to me?"

"Suki was having lunch with me when Michelle showed up here, baby, and she just told the girl she never wants to talk to her again," Tej replied, quiet but firm as he kept stroking Brian's hair. "I saw her face when I told her what Michelle did. She had no idea."

Brian looked a little bit relieved. "Well, that's good, at least." He paused and then asked softly, "Did Suki leave?"

Tej shook his head. "No, she's waiting on me, wanted to know if you're okay." He hesitated and then added, "She was hoping I'd go to dinner with her."

Brian pulled away from Tej's hand, lifting his head. "I'm fine, go on, spend some time with her. She's probably been missing you since I got here, I've been taking up all your time."

"Maybe," Tej admitted, "but she understands that you need me right now, baby."

"I'm not _five_ ," Brian said quietly. "I don't need a babysitter, and even if I did, Jimmy's here. Go eat dinner with your girl."

Tej looked at Brian a long moment and then murmured, "I don't like leavin' you when you're so upset, Bri."

"I'm fine," Brian repeated again, moving to put his feet in the floor and then standing up. "I'm going back to work. _You_ should go eat with Suki."

Brian started to move towards the door and Tej stood quickly, grabbing Brian's hand. Brian looked at him again, trying hard to just look curious, but Tej could see how tired he was and the dull look in his eyes, like Brian had pushed himself just about as far as he could. "You could come with, baby."

"Dates aren't any fun with three people," Brian pointed out softly. "I'll be fine here, Jimmy said something earlier about ordering pizza tonight. Some local place he wants me to try, says it's the best in town."

"That'd be Gallo's," Tej agreed, relaxing just a little because he knew how Brian loved a good pizza.

"After he finishes that Eclipse he's working on, he's going to order," Brian murmured. "I'll be fine, I promise."

"Alright, baby boy," Tej agreed, moving closer as he let go of Brian's hand and reached for his neck instead, tugging Brian down into a slow, loving kiss. When they finally parted after a few minutes, Tej looked into Brian's eyes from only a few inches away as he murmured, "You call if you need me, okay? For _anything_."

Brian smiled and that time it finally really reached his eyes, making them go gentle and warm. "I love you too."

Tej kissed him again, then murmured, "Love you like _breathing_ , baby boy. Don't ever doubt it." He kissed Brian once more and then let him go, moving towards the door as he added in a more normal tone, "But I was serious."

Brian followed him. "Okay, _Dad_. If the monster in the closet scares me, I'll call."

Tej snorted, amused. "There ain't a closet anywhere on the property. I never saw the point."

"Sounds like there's no closet monster either, then," Brian pointed out, and when Tej glanced back he saw Brian was smiling slightly. "Just go! I'll be fine."

"I'm goin', damn," Tej agreed with a little laugh, heading for the back door further down the building, which was near where he left Suki waiting in her car. When he got inside he glanced towards the brightly lit private bay and saw Brian was already ducking under the Skyline's hood again, his back to the rest of the garage.

Tej looked towards Suki's car, walking around to the passenger side to get in as he smiled at her and murmured, "We can go, baby girl."

Suki smiled back, looking pleased as she started her car. "I wanted to go down to the Keys tonight, show you a little place I like in Islamorada. Do you mind?"

"Nah, baby," Tej agreed as he settled into the passenger seat and shut the door. "A long drive and dinner with my girl sounds good."

Suki beamed and leaned to kiss his cheek, then twisted to look behind the car as she started to back out of the garage.

Tej glanced over at Brian to check on him one last time and saw Brian watching them with a little smile. Tej lifted his hand to wave to him and Brian waved back, then turned away to go back to work.

Tej turned his attention back to Suki, smiling as he asked, "How was your day, baby girl?"

"It was good," Suki replied, smiling as she stopped the car and shifted into drive. She started out of the lot as she began telling him about a client she had that afternoon, painting tiny little dragons on each nail, but Tej only half listened as he relaxed, just enjoying seeing her smile.

 

~*~*~

 

It was nearly one when Suki dropped Tej off at the garage again, kissing him good night before he got out of her little Honda. He was still smiling as he walked into the garage, but he was surprised to see Jimmy all alone at their table, doing something on the laptop.

Tej walked over to sit next to Jimmy, sprawling comfortably in his chair as he asked, "Whatcha doing?"

Jimmy didn't even glance at him as he said a little pointedly, "Finishing _your_ paperwork."

"Where's Bri?" Tej asked quietly, wondering if maybe Jimmy had argued with somebody or something. He knew it wasn't the paperwork that was really bothering Jimmy, he did it half the time anyway when Tej was busy with networking a race meet or handling some other business. He had been the one to teach _Tej_ how to run the garage, after all.

"I sent him to bed about an hour ago," Jimmy replied, giving Tej a flat look that made Tej realize Jimmy was unhappy with _him_. "He's _exhausted_."

"He never was good with stress," Tej murmured quietly. "I don't think I _ever_ saw him in bed before midnight, though."

Jimmy snorted. "He hasn't slept much more than a couple hours in _two days_." He pushed the laptop aside, leaning his elbows on the table as he met Tej's gaze and added, "You _do_ know about the nightmares, right?"

Tej frowned. "He hasn't mentioned having nightmares again to me. What did he tell you?"

"Nothing," Jimmy said a little pointedly, "I _heard him_. Night before last he was yelling about someone named Dom, and then last night he was crying out like someone was killing him in his sleep. I saw how wrecked he was when he came in after both of them. The kid is hurting _bad_."

"I had no idea," Tej murmured, rubbing at his eyes to try and get the stinging to go away. Thinking about leaving Brian alone with nightmares so bad Jimmy heard him all the way up in the garage hurt, and explained Brian's behavior that day completely. "He was fine with me." He remembered something Brian had said then and swallowed hard. "Said he slept better than he has in years."

"Then you need to get your ass back into his bed," Jimmy said firmly, making Tej look at him. "The kid is hanging on by his fingernails. He tries to hide it from you, but when you leave, it's like all the light goes right out of him. I would bet cash money that the _only_ thing keeping him going right now is you." He paused and then added quietly, "He hasn't even _looked_ at his car in two days, and he wasn't interested when I asked earlier if he planned to race her tomorrow night."

"Damn," Tej murmured, pained. "That's not good."

"Not even a little, going by what you've told me about the kid," Jimmy agreed softly. "He barely eats or sleeps unless he's with you, and every time he stops working I can _see_ the demons in his head getting to him again." He waved towards the parking lot. "Everything out there is finished, and there's nothing left to do on the Skyline until I get some more parts sent over. I had to give him _my_ work tonight so he could stay in the zone and not have to think."

"And he's not eating either?" Tej asked quietly, rubbing his eyes again.

"He had a donut for breakfast, and one slice of pizza tonight," Jimmy replied, "and I had to practically _make_ him finish the piece of pizza." He hesitated, then murmured, "Tejuan, look at me." Tej moved his hand to meet Jimmy's gaze, surprised he was using his full name. He hadn't even known that Jimmy _knew_ his name, he didn't use it anywhere. Even his driver's license said he was Tej Parker, not Tejuan. "I know you fell hard for Suki," Jimmy said gently, "but if you keep fucking around trying to please her, we're gonna be going to Brian's _funeral_."

Tej shuddered and looked away as his eyes blurred with tears. "That ain't happening." He swallowed hard, wiping at his eyes. "If I gotta choose, there's no question."

"I'm sorry," Jimmy murmured, reaching out to rub Tej's back. "I _know_ you love her, but I've been listening to you talk about Brian for _years_. Losing him like this would kill you, and I'm not gonna let that happen."

"No, don't be sorry," Tej said quickly, wiping his eyes again. He looked at Jimmy, hoping Jimmy would see how sincere and grateful he was as he murmured, " _Thank you_."

Jimmy grabbed the back of his neck, leaning closer as he pulled Tej over to kiss his forehead. "Just go take care of your heart, little brother. He _needs_ you."

Tej nodded, wiping his eyes again as he muttered, "As soon as I get the waterworks under control. Seeing me cry would just upset him more."

"It would," Jimmy agreed softly, moving his hand down to Tej's back again to rub slowly. "I hate hurting you, but you had to know. I'm afraid if I kept my mouth shut, I'd end up losing you both."

"Probably," Tej admitted softly, not looking at Jimmy. "I know he's been riding close to the edge, but he was talkin' about getting his own place to try to make Suki happy. That's why I been sleeping in that house I lived in before I got the boat. He loves it here and I didn't want him feeling like he had to leave."

"Suki is either gonna have to learn to deal, or move on," Jimmy said firmly, "and I'll tell her so next time I get a chance to talk to the girl alone." Tej looked at him, surprised. "I like her, and I know you love her, but _she_ can go on without--" Jimmy broke off, frowning as he looked towards the back door.

"What?" Tej asked softly.

Jimmy shook his head, just listening a moment, then murmured, "Maybe I imagined it." He looked back at Tej. "She can live without you just fine, Tej, but I'm pretty sure Brian _won't_."

Tej swallowed hard, looking down at the table, and then in the silence he and Jimmy both heard a quiet, pained-sounding cry from the direction of the houseboat, followed a moment later by Brian's voice saying just loud enough they could hear him, "Dom, no!"

"Damn it," Jimmy murmured, pained and sad. "Get _out there_ , Tej."

Tej was already getting to his feet. "I'm going. Thanks, Jimmy."

"Just take care of him," Jimmy said quietly.

"I will," Tej promised, walking quickly towards the back door and ignoring the flaring pain in his knee as he pushed it a little too hard.

Tej walked out of the garage, crossing the pier to the boat and stepping down onto it just as Brian cried out again, sounding like he was in pain. Tej didn't even notice the tears on his face as he hurried through the living area towards the bedroom, and he heard Brian crying as he reached for the curtain. The bedroom was lit only by the faint moonlight coming in through the shades, but Tej didn't really need to see where he was going as he moved towards the bed.

Brian was still dressed for the day, curled up on his side with his back to Tej as he cried, and when Tej sat on the bed behind him Brian jerked away towards the wall, whimpering and twisting as he rolled over. He was cringing away with such obvious fear that Tej felt like something inside him shattered as he stared into Brian's tear-filled eyes. There was no sense in them at all yet, just pain and fear, and Tej hated himself for leaving Brian alone with whatever horrors waited in his dreams.

"Baby, it's okay, it's just me," Tej said gently, pained and sad. "You're _safe_."

Brian just stared for a few moments before the fear in his eyes faded and then his expression crumpled as he started sobbing, reaching for Tej.

Tej pulled Brian into his arms, holding him tight as he hid his face against Brian's hair and whispered, "Let it all out, baby. I got you." He began to rock Brian gently without even really noticing it, rubbing his back as they cried together.

Brian finally cried himself out after what seemed like hours to Tej, exhausted and trembling as he pressed a soft kiss to the side of Tej's throat. His voice was still thick with tears and pain a moment later as he whispered, "I'm sorry."

" _You_ got nothing to be sorry for," Tej murmured raggedly, pained. " _I'm_ the one who left you alone with whatever it is that's hurting you so bad."

"Memories, mostly," Brian whispered, still hiding his damp face against Tej's neck. "That time it was two big guys beating me down and then fucking me dry, only in the dream they weren't the guys who _really_ did it. It was Dom and Vince."

Tej tightened his grip on Brian a little, closing his eyes against fresh tears. Brian had mentioned Dom only once by name and Tej hadn't asked any more because he could tell just thinking about the guy hurt Brian. "Will it help to talk about it, baby? About them?"

"I don't know," Brian admitted so quietly Tej barely heard him. "I haven't really tried."

"I'd like to know who Dom is, if you wanna tell me," Tej murmured gently, moving one hand to stroke Brian's hair. "Maybe it'll help you forget the nightmare."

"Not sure remembering him would be much better," Brian admitted quietly. "He's why I went to Chino." He sniffed hard, then he took a slow ragged breath before he started to talk. "I was barely out of the Academy when I bought this Eclipse for next to nothing from another rookie 'cause the idiot had seized up the motor, running it with oil so cruddy it was like tar. I rebuilt the engine and got her running, and she was so quick and agile that I started thinking about racing again. I started playing with her, tuning her up to go faster, and then one Friday night I was out cruising around just killing time before work and I saw these slick street racing cars ahead of me. Another one joined them a block later, and I followed them to a meet that was just coming together when I got there."

Brian paused, sniffling again, then went on. "It was like going _home_. I don't even know who raced that night, I was just walking along this line of cars people were showing off, listening to the engines rev and breathing in the smell of exhaust and Nos and burning rubber." He shifted to get more comfortable, settling more against Tej's chest, and Tej gave him a squeeze. "After that, it was all over but the screaming and I started spending every night roaming the street, following any racers I saw hoping for another meet. I was at a race a few weeks later when there was a scramble, and one of Dad's cop buddies saw me. He told Dad and I started catching hell every time I left the house except to go to work, but I wouldn't stop going 'cause it all made me feel so _alive_ again."

Brian paused again then, and Tej was surprised to realize he sounded almost proud when he went on. "I was watching a meet come together about a month later when the crowd parted like the fuckin' _Red Sea_ for this team of drivers that pulled up in a flying vee, all five of them in these _hot_ imports. People were cheering and calling out to them, and when the lead car stopped the team lined up in pairs behind him so perfect they _had_ to practice that shit." Brian lifted one hand to rub at his nose, then wrapped his arm back around Tej. "The leader was in this really sexy red Mazda RX-7, and when he got out it was like everything else faded out. I just, I don't even know what it was, but I couldn't take my eyes off of him. People were all over him, treating him like he was _king_ or something, and he was just talking to them all easy and calm. His team gathered around him and then he got a race set up within a few minutes, and when I saw him _drive_... Jesus. You talk about me being good, but Dom, he's amazing. _Nobody_ beats him at a quarter mile."

"Did you go introduce yourself, baby?" Tej asked softly, stroking Brian's hair. Brian wasn't crying anymore and had stopped shaking, but he still sounded kind of sad.

Brian let out a little ghost of a laugh. "God, no. That Eclipse I was driving was nowhere near his league then. He'd have laughed if he saw her and thought I was just some stupid kid with a crush." He hesitated slightly, then actually sounded a little amused as he admitted, "Which was true, but I've never actually _approached_ a guy because I wanted him and Dom, he's almost my height and muscled up like a bull. Hitting on him never even _occurred_ to me. I just wanted to keep watching him." He hesitated, then asked softly, "Why don't we lay down?"

"Sounds good," Tej agreed, and when Brian pulled away he smiled softly at him. "You should get rid of those clothes, baby. You'll be too hot in them with both of us in bed."

Brian nodded, his eyes still a little too shiny and sad as he gave Tej a ghost of a smile. He tugged his shirt off without a word and then reached for the waist of his cargo shorts. Tej stood and moved to the windows to make sure they were open, then leaned back against the narrow dresser as he bent to untie his boots, glancing at Brian when he heard his cargo shorts hit the floor.

Brian was already lying down on his side, naked and watching Tej as he said softly, "I thought you were staying at your other house now."

"Suki dropped me off here to get my truck after we got back from dinner in the Keys, and I was talkin' with Jimmy when we heard you having that nightmare, baby boy," Tej said gently, straightening again as he toed off his boots.

Brian closed his eyes, hiding his face against the pillow as he mumbled, "God. I didn't think anyone would hear me back here."

"Well, we did," Tej said softly as he stripped off his shirt, tossing it towards the hamper. "And Jimmy heard you the last two nights, too. He was giving me hell for leaving you alone with them when we heard you tonight."

"You didn't know," Brian said quickly, lifting his head to look towards Tej again. "I didn't _want_ you to know, you've been worrying about me enough."

Tej started unbuttoning his jeans, the faded old black button-fly pair that were his favorite. He had overheard Suki tell her girls one time that they made his ass look so good she wanted to just take a bite, but they were also broke in perfect and fit him like a glove, comfortable enough he didn't bother with underwear. "Baby, it's just gonna make me worry _more_ , knowing you're not tellin' me what you really need."

Brian stared into his eyes a moment and then looked down at the bed. "I just... I feel so _safe_ here, I thought maybe they'd go away."

Tej kicked out of the jeans and his socks and walked to the bed, climbing onto it to lie down facing Brian as he murmured softly, "You should have told me after the first one, baby."

"I don't want you to lose Suki because of me," Brian murmured, reaching out as he shifted closer. "I know you love her."

Tej pulled Brian into his arms, letting Brian curl in close and tuck his head under Tej's chin. "It's time you knew something, Brian. If she makes me choose, then she already made the choice _for me_." Brian's arms tightened around him, and Tej stroked his hair slowly. "I do love her, baby, but you and me got a lot of history together and no matter how hard I fell when I met her, she just can't compare. I've only known her a couple months."

"I love you too," Brian whispered, kissing his chest softly. "I just feel so guilty, coming in here and making you hurt her."

"You can't _make_ me do anything," Tej pointed out, quiet but firm. "I told her about you before I even started looking for you. She's just gotta decide if what I can give her is enough." He paused and then added softly, "Goin' by today, I think it'll all work out okay. She actually went out to dinner with me and kissed me a couple times, real kisses that left me wantin' her, and she never did that before."

"I hope so," Brian murmured, sounding a little relieved.

Tej kissed the top of Brian's head, changing the subject. "Forget about Suki for right now, baby. I wanna hear more about Dom. I kinda doubt it ended with you just watching him race."

Brian let out a soft little strangled noise. "No, that was just how it _started_. I was taking the long way home from work a few days later, cruising through Echo Park and enjoying the sunshine and the way the Eclipse was driving after some changes I made to the suspension, and I saw his car. I followed him, wondering where he was headed, and he pulled up to this little market with a lunch counter. I kept driving, but I didn't make it three blocks before I was circling back. I went in to get lunch and see if maybe I could meet him, and that's how I started eating the worst tuna sandwiches on the _planet_ for lunch every day while I watched him sit in the office with his back to me and ignore the world."

Tej let out a soft little amused snort. "Tell me you at least _talked_ to him."

"Not until the fifth time I went there," Brian admitted, soft and amused. "Mia - she was the girl working the counter, I found out later she was his baby sister - kept telling me the special was the tuna every day, and the fifth time I ordered it, Dom got up and went to the cooler for a Red Bull. He stopped by the office door on his way back, giving me this sweet little smile and telling me she was lying about the special just to fuck with me. I told him I liked the tuna just to see what he'd say, and he laughed and said he spoke up too late, she'd already killed all the taste in my mouth."

Tej snickered. "I think I'd like him."

"You would." Brian gave him a squeeze, sounding amused and fond as he went on. "I was _done for_ , right then. Mia started in on him, giving him Hell for talking bad about her tuna, and I just watched him tease her thinking I wanted to spend the rest of my life making him smile. I'm sure I was grinning like an idiot the whole time, but Dom didn't say anything, and neither did Mia."

Tej stroked Brian's hair, glad that Brian couldn't see his face. The last thing he expected when he asked about the guy Brian was having nightmares about was to find out he was in love with the guy. Bad dreams about someone Brian had a crush on would be bad enough, but dreaming about someone he _loved_ hurting him had to be tearing Brian to shreds inside. He was proud of how normal he sounded as he asked softly, "So... When did you two get together?"

"We didn't," Brian said softly, and the amusement was gone out of his voice just that quick. "I got hauled in by the FBI the _next day_ after I left the market, and Dad was there wanting me to help them on this case they were working, trying to pin a string of truck robberies on Dom and his team. They wanted to boost my pay to detective level and put me in undercover, and if I got them a conviction they were gonna make it all permanent and I'd be Dad's new partner, working with him instead of pulling graveyard shift on patrol." He fell silent a moment, then went on in little more than a whisper, "I had disappointed Dad so many times, and I wanted to prove they were wrong about Dom, that he was innocent, so I agreed."

Tej stroked Brian's back slowly, fingertips ghosting over smooth muscle littered with scars as he asked softly, "So what happened?"

"I went under working at a performance parts place and the FBI put like forty grand into my car, making her the fastest thing I ever drove up until then," Brian replied softly. "I started going to Dodger stadium to practice with the car every morning before work and kept going to the market every day for lunch, and it all felt more _right_ than being a cop ever did. I was enjoying life again, living and breathing cars like I used to with you, and then about a week later when the team was at the market for lunch the same time I was, Mia started flirting with me. That pissed off the guy who was in love with her, Dom's best friend Vince, but the FBI guy in charge, Bilkins, he liked it and told me later that day to get with Mia to get in with Dom's team. I started flirting with her and Vince and I argued a few times over the next week, then one day Vince jumped me and was kicking my ass when Dom jumped into the middle of it and put a stop to it, then told me not to ever come back."

"How did the FBI guy take that?" Tej asked softly.

"Bilkins told me to get in with them or die trying," Brian replied softly. "I went to the races the next night and put up my pink slip to get Dom to let me run against him, and I made every mistake I could have because I was freaking out, wanting so bad to impress him. I nearly blew the engine, I fucked up so bad, and after Dom won the car he tore me up one side and down the other in front of _everyone_ for using her so bad, but he was smiling at me the whole time and I couldn't even really get mad about losing that car I put so much time and money into." He let out a tiny little laugh. "I was _glad_ I made him smile, and he was so amused that I was smiling after I lost that it just made him smile more."

Brian moved one hand to trail a fingertip very slowly down along the scars the right side of Tej's chest as he continued talking. "About that time the cops showed up and we had to scramble. He parked his car and took off on foot, and the cops nearly got him before I found him. He jumped in my car - well, _his car_ , he won her - when I told him to, and then I had to do some fancy driving to get us out of there with the cops swarming all over. He told me he knew I had been in juvie, Bilkins used my real record for my cover mostly, and then told me he did two years in Lompoc, and I was so distracted by talking with him about it that I got us lost. We ended up in Korea town, and this gang he had pissed off led by a guy named Tran surrounded us on racing bikes with machine pistols and made us go with them to this parking lot. They let us get out of the car and made some threats, and then just as we were about to get back in and go, Tran and his cousin Lance started shooting and blew up the Eclipse."

"Jesus," Tej murmured, surprised.

"Yeah," Brian agreed softly. "Dom and I started walking, and we were talking the whole time but I don't even remember what we said, just that I was _happy_ walking with him at like one in the morning on deserted streets. We finally stumbled across a taxi after about an hour and got a ride back to his house in a quiet little corner of Echo Park, an old two story with a battered barn of a garage and like _no_ yard, but it was home to him and the team. He invited me in for a beer and his team freaked out that he invited a stranger into the only safe place they had, and Dom got pissed and told them that at least I didn't abandon him like they did." He let out a little huff that wasn't quite a laugh. "He gave me Vince's beer right after that, pissed at Vince for leaving him behind with the cops, and after that the guy hated me even more."

Brian fell silent then, just tracing the scar on Tej's side where a metal pole went through him when he flipped his car in that race that ended his career, and after a minute or so of silence Tej asked softly, "How did you get from there to going into Chino, baby?"

"By doing _everything_ wrong," Brian admitted softly, sad and quiet. "Dom invited me into his home and his family like it was where I belonged, and it wasn't long before I felt like I really did. I was so deep in love with him I couldn't even _imagine_ him being guilty even though Dad kept telling me to stop lying to myself. Dom had me working half days at the parts store and spending pretty much all the rest of my time in a garage with him, building me a car together, a Supra that was so fast it made the Eclipse look like a go-cart, and I _loved_ it. Everything was great until Bilkins got impatient and started making threats. He pushed me into getting in deeper with Mia to try and get her to talk to me more, and then even that wasn't enough. He called me one night talking about taking Dom down himself, going in guns blazing, and I knew Dom would _die_ before he let them take him."

Brian swallowed hard, then went on. "Dom and I went out in the Supra the first time the next day, and I pushed him hard because Bilkins had given me just a few days, freaking out that Bilkins would kill him if I didn't get answers fast enough. I was sure he had to know who was doing it all, even though I still didn't believe it was him, and he promised to tell me everything after Race Wars, which was gonna start the next day. Then I heard Dom and Mia fighting in the middle of the night at Race Wars, she was yelling about him hitting a truck and that she wanted him to stop, and then he and the rest of the team stormed off. I ended up breaking my cover with Mia, which broke her heart when she figured out it was all a lie, but she still believed me when I told her I just wanted to stop Dom and the team before someone got hurt."

Brian took a shaky breath. "Without Mia, I never would have found them. She helped me trace the burner phone Dom carried that night and I drove as fast as the Supra would go without wasting all the Nos, hit one-sixty most of the way, but when we got to him everything had already gone to shit. The trucker turned out to have a shotgun and Vince had been shot and was hanging tangled in this wire on the side of a semi going eighty while he was bleeding to death, one of the others had rolled her car, and Dom's car had blown an engine, so there was nobody left to help Vince but me and Mia. I ended up getting Mia to drive the Supra so I could jump onto the truck with this guy _shooting_ at me while I tried to get Vince loose and save him. After we got Vince safe on the ground and the truck was gone I had to call for a life flight for him, and by the time it took off the team was long gone so I headed back home to try and find Dom."

Brian wiped at his eyes again, sad and pained as he murmured, "Right after I got to the house Tran and his cousin Lance showed up on their racing bikes and murdered the youngest member of the team right in front of me and Dom. Jesse was this sweet, funny kid with an I.Q. of like two-forty who had a crush on me and had been following me around since the day I met them, and I kind of lost it. I jumped in my car and went after them alone with them both shooting at me, and then they split up and got me in between them, and I had just realized Lance was about to kill me when Dom came flying in out of nowhere and rammed Lance's bike, killing him. I ended up shooting Tran right after, and then I saw Dom waiting for me in his car and I took off after him. He led me to this quiet stretch of road and then just waited for me to pull up by him and told me he wanted us to run one last race together there where he used to run as a kid, a straight quarter mile stretch between a stop light and some railroad tracks."

Brian swallowed hard, hesitating a few moments, and Tej was sure Brian was right back there in the car. "I knew the cops would find us soon and I wanted to be with him as long as I could, so I went for it. We flew over the tracks side by side at the end, me in my Supra and him in the Dodge Charger his dad built before he died, and an express train screamed by behind the cars so close I could feel the heat of it going by. Dom and I looked at each other and he smiled at me, and then this semi came out of nowhere and hit his car." Tej closed his eyes and rubbed Brian's back, praying Brian hadn't had to watch Dom die. "The Charger flipped up in this crazy barrel-roll over my Supra and then slammed into the road and rolled again, and I was losing it as I got out and ran to the car, sure he'd be dead, but somehow he made it. He was hurt, busted up his shoulder, but he was feeling good enough to joke about it not being the way he planned ending the race."

Brian paused again, turning his face towards Tej's chest and taking a shaky breath. "I helped him out of the car and then we heard sirens, and Dom and I just stood there looking at each other until I offered him my keys. He asked me if I knew what I was doing and I reminded him I owed him a ten second car, and then he took the keys and he left." He let out a little hurt sound, and Tej stroked his hair as he felt Brian's tears falling hot on his skin. "And then when I realized that he was really _gone_ I started thinking how _everyone_ I love always leaves, and I went a little crazy. I met the first cops that got there and told them to arrest me for aiding and abetting an armed robbery, and then I confessed to everything I could think of and threw my life away to try and pull the heat off Dom long enough for him to make it to Mexico."

"Damn, baby," Tej murmured, nuzzling Brian's hair as he tightened his arms around him. "Did he at least get away?"

"He made it to Mexico, I know that much," Brian replied softly, his voice choked with tears. "I talked to Mia a couple weeks later and she screamed at me about Vince going into Lompoc and how it was all my fault she was alone because her family was in Mexico at Letty's place and she couldn't even see them because the FBI was watching her." He paused, then added, "Letty was Mia's best friend, Dom's girl, she was the one who rolled her car that last heist. The other one who got away was Leon. I was probably closest to him, besides Dom and Mia. Leon decided he liked me early on because I spent so much time with Jesse, who was like his baby brother, and he _always_ had my back, even when it meant fighting Vince to keep him from killing me over Mia."

"What happened to Vince and Mia?" Tej asked softly.

"Vince got three years in Lompoc and two hundred grand in reparations to pay," Brian replied very quietly. "The cops took his house and cars and everything he owned. I don't know about Mia. She hasn't talked to me since that one time during my trial."  He sniffed, then added softly, "I know things must be really rough for her, though. I went through Echo Park the day I got out of Chino and saw she sold Dom's garage and the market she loved, and she's trying to sell the house their grandfather built, too. She must be trying to help Vince pay off his reparations, that's all I can come up with for why she'd do that to Dom." He started crying again, his tears hot on Tej's skin as he added a little raggedly, "The garage was his dream, but he _treasured_ that house, it was the only home the team had and he used to talk about wanting to raise his _grandkids_ there. It even felt like home to _me_ , that's part of why I went back after Chino. I knew he wouldn't be there, but still I _wished_ I'd see them all there together, see it was all worth it." He sniffled and then whispered, "And instead I found out I made him lose _everything_."

Tej closed his eyes, holding Brian close as he said softly, "Baby, no. They got themselves into trouble, you just got dragged down with them."

"It _feels_ like my fault," Brian whispered, sad and pained. "If I had done things different, told Dom the _truth_ that day in the Supra before Race Wars, I could have gotten him to stop before it was too late. He would have been pissed at me for all the lies I had to tell him, but we were close enough I think he would have listened to me, too." He let out a sad little huff. "But I didn't trust him enough until it was too late."

Tej nuzzled Brian's hair, rubbing his back slowly as he murmured, "None of it was on you, baby. Rick never should have let them drag you into that. You're one of the most loyal people I ever met in my life. There was no way you were gonna betray a guy you _love_."

"I couldn't," Brian agreed. "Mia knew it, too. She told me one time that Dom owns me, and I couldn't argue with her 'cause it was so true." He let out a soft little sad noise that was more a sob than anything else, and his voice was thick with tears as he whispered, "I betrayed _everyone_ for Dom, even me, and the stupidest part is I _still_ love him. After I went to Chino over him I should hate him, that's what Dad says, but I just _miss him_ so damn much."

Tej didn't know what to say to that, couldn't find the words to make any of it better, but after a minute or so he murmured softly, "You never betrayed me, baby."

Brian's arms tightened around him and he lifted his head, meeting Tej's gaze. "I would _die_ first."

Tej stroked Brian's hair, staring into his eyes as he murmured, "You'd die for me?"

Brian didn't even think about it. "In a heartbeat. I wouldn't even regret it."

Tej swallowed hard, taking a shaky breath because he didn't doubt Brian _meant it_ , really would die for him without hesitating if he thought it was necessary. "Can you do something even harder for me then, baby boy?"

"Tell me," Brian said softly. "Anything."

"Stop hating yourself for shit you can't change and _live_ for me," Tej murmured. "If I lost you, it would _kill me_."

Brian let out a soft pained sound and kissed Tej so sweet and gentle that it made Tej's eyes sting, then whispered, "I'll try."

"Try hard, baby," Tej murmured softly.

Brian kissed him again instead of speaking, and Tej put his heart and soul into kissing back, wanting Brian to feel just how much he needed him.

 

~*~*~

 

Tej wasn't sure if it was because Brian had finally talked about some of the shit that was bothering him so much or if it was just that Brian was so glad to sleep with him again, but whatever the reason, Brian was obviously doing better the next morning. He wasn't awake yet when Tej left the bed, but he was smiling slightly even asleep and he looked a hundred percent better than he had the night before. He was obviously relaxed and sleeping peacefully, and the dark circles that had been under his eyes were gone like they were never there.

Tej was smiling as he headed into the bathroom for his morning routine, and he had already shaved and brushed his teeth and was getting into the shower when Brian walked into the bathroom. Brian looked half awake but was smiling all soft and sweet, which made Tej grin as he closed the shower and stepped under the water, eyes closing as he just relaxed under the hot spray a moment and silently thanked whatever deity might be listening for sending him Jimmy.

It had become a habit over the last two years. Without Jimmy, Tej wouldn't have survived much past hearing the words 'never walk on it again'. Tej was ready to give up then but Jimmy wouldn't let him, pushing Tej hard to keep fighting and even hunting down doctors that would actually help instead of just giving up on him. Tej owed his life to Jimmy, but more he owed Jimmy for saving his sanity, and now he owed him for helping Brian, too. He could never repay Jimmy for all he had done, all he could do was try to be there for Jimmy the same way if Jimmy ever needed him.

Brian used the toilet quickly and then moved to brush his teeth, and then he disappeared back into the bedroom. Tej was nearly done with his shower a few minutes later and had his eyes closed and his face tipped up to the hot water when Brian suddenly opened the shower door behind him. Tej wiped the water out of his eyes, surprised Brian was stepping in with him as Brian murmured, "Morning."

"Mornin', baby boy," Tej replied, smiling as he looked over his shoulder at Brian. "Couldn't wait for your own shower, huh?"

"Didn't want to." Brian slid his arms around Tej as he moved in close, one arm going around Tej's waist to pull Tej back against him, his erection nudging against Tej's back while the other hand stroked down Tej's belly to his cock. Brian trailed his fingertips teasingly light along it, making Tej's cock throb as it started to harden, and then closed his fingers around it to stroke slowly while he murmured into Tej's ear, "If I ask _real_ nice, would you fuck me good morning?"

Tej laughed softly, leaning back against Brian as he turned his head to look at him, loving the desire so hot and bright in Brian's beautiful blue eyes and the little smirk he had going on. "I ever tell you no, baby boy?"

Brian grinned, blue eyes sparkling. "Not yet." He kissed Tej then, making a low happy noise when Tej responded hungrily.

Brian closed his fingers tighter around Tej's cock after a few moments and stroked firmly from the base towards the crown. The hot water running over them made Brian's work-roughened hand feel very different than it usually did, and Tej growled as he thrust into that tight, wet grip. Brian purred, breaking the kiss to nuzzle at Tej's ear as he whispered, "I want you fucking into _me_ like that."

"Just tell me when and where, baby boy," Tej responded, running his hands along Brian's forearms and fighting to hold still as Brian stroked his cock again.

"When would be _immediately._ " Brian bit Tej's earlobe, sucking on it and stroking Tej's cock again as Tej groaned, then he released it after a moment and murmured into his ear, "And I'm good with anywhere you want me."

Tej twisted a little in Brian's arms, reaching for him with one hand to pull him down into a hungry kiss before he murmured, "Counter or the bed, baby. Your choice."

"Counter's closer," Brian replied without hesitation, kissing him again as he released Tej's cock and reached for the water to turn it off. Tej turned to face Brian completely and reached behind Brian to push the shower door open, still kissing him, and then Brian was pulling Tej out of the shower with him, both of them smiling into it as they kept kissing. Brian backed up to the counter and sat on a towel that was lying there, pulling Tej towards him as he spread his legs, and Tej pressed in close, their bodies still slick with water.

Brian groaned softly and slid his hands down to Tej's ass, squeezing and earning a low growl as Tej thrust against him. Tej pulled away from the kiss, already breathing hard as he said softly, "Be right back, baby. I gotta get the stuff."

Brian took one hand off of Tej's ass to reach for the counter behind him, showing Tej a condom. "This is all you'll need. I got ready for you while you were in the shower."

Tej groaned and kissed him again, hard and hungry, then murmured, "I fuckin' _love_ you, baby boy."

"Right now _I'd_ love you fuckin' me," Brian replied with a wicked grin, blue eyes sparkling with desire and sudden amusement.

Tej laughed and kissed him again, then pulled back. "You puttin' it on or am I?"

"I am," Brian said firmly, still grinning as he leaned forward to kiss Tej again, his hands busy between them opening the foil packet. He reached for Tej's cock again a moment later and Tej groaned into his mouth, pulling back to look down and watch Brian stroke his cock again and then put the condom on him with efficient skill. Brian usually wanted to do it when they used them and Tej gladly let him, enjoying Brian's touch at least as much as Brian enjoyed how he reacted to it. He still wasn't sure if they would be going together to get tested again or not so they could stop using them. Brian hadn't said anything and Tej didn't want to be the one to bring it up. Tej was sure he was clean, he hadn't been with anyone without a condom since Brian, but Brian had been through Hell in Chino.

Tej looked back up to meet Brian's eyes, smirking as he murmured, "Now, where were we?"

"You were about to fuck me," Brian replied with that wicked little grin, stroking Tej's cock lightly again and then letting it go to reach for Tej and pull him closer as Brian kissed him again. Tej reached for Brian's thighs, lifting, and Brian gladly wrapped his legs around Tej's waist, using the leverage to help pull him closer as Brian moved one hand between them to guide Tej's cock where he so badly wanted it. Tej's cock was slowly sinking into him a moment later, both of them groaning at the sensation, and then Brian broke the kiss to rest his forehead against Tej's as he whispered, "Just go for it, babe. I need to _feel it_."

Tej pulled back, making a quiet little noise at how good it felt, and then went in harder at a slightly different angle, loving the way the clinging heat surrounding his cock clenched even tighter as it rubbed against that spot that made Brian whine and buck against him. Tej began thrusting slow and easy then, his hands gripping Brian's hips to keep the angle right as he leaned in for another kiss, and he loved the soft noises Brian was making into his mouth with every jerk of his hips. Brian was kissing him like he wanted to devour him, needy and hungry and so eager that Tej was soon thrusting harder and faster without even noticing it.

Brian's hands slid up to Tej's shoulders to hold on as he broke the kiss to tip his head back, wordlessly offering his throat, and Tej leaned in to lick and bite at Brian's neck as his hips jerked quick and hard, loving the way the tiled walls made every sound Brian made seem twice as loud. Tej could tell by the noises Brian was making that he was getting close, and he paused to shift Brian's hips slightly, then thrust in again and smirked against Brian's neck at the way Brian cried out in pleasure. Tej bit Brian's collarbone then, loving the low whine Brian let out as his cock twitched between them, and after a few more hard thrusts Brian's ass was clenching tight as Brian came with a low shuddering moan, making Tej growl and thrust quickly until he came so hard it made him lightheaded.

Tej just leaned against Brian as he came down, breathing hard, and Brian was still trembling a little as he shifted after a few minutes, his hands moving low on Tej's back to keep him from pulling out. Tej nuzzled the side of his throat and Brian kissed his cheek, then Tej moved to kiss Brian's mouth with a soft low purr, enjoying how sweet and loving Brian always was right after he came. Tej slid his hands up from Brian's hips around to his back, holding him close as they kissed slowly for a little while, and when they finally parted again he rested his forehead against Brian's as he whispered, "Love you."

Brian kissed him again, soft and lingering, and then he smiled, blue eyes sparkling and warm as he murmured teasingly, "Love you more."

Tej smirked. "Completely im-fuckin'-possible, baby."

Brian laughed and kissed him again instead of protesting. It wouldn't do any good anyway. Tej had _never_ let him win that argument.

 

~*~*~

 

Jimmy came back from making the daily breakfast run in Tej's truck with two boxes of sausage biscuits and a squeeze bottle of grape jelly, and Tej and Jimmy were both pleased by the way Brian dug into his share of breakfast like he was starving. Brian had laughed and teased Jimmy for putting jelly on sausage biscuits until Jimmy got him to try it, and then Brian started putting on even more jelly than Jimmy did, making Jimmy and Tej both start picking on him about his sweet tooth. Brian gave as good as he got, pointing out they both bought donuts for breakfast more often than not, and soon the three of them were cheerfully arguing over what counted as a real breakfast while they ate.

They were through with breakfast and lingering over their chosen sources of morning caffeine - coffee for Jimmy and Tej, a bottle of ice cold Sunkist for Brian - discussing which cars to work on first that day when Tej's cell phone suddenly started to play music.

Tej made a face after the first few notes and looked towards where his phone was docked on the counter that held the coffee machine, grumbling, "Just who _I_ wanna talk to first thing in the morning." He was in no hurry as he got up to walk towards the phone, hoping that Rick would give up.

_'I ain't never gonna be who you want me to be, ain't giving up the wheel. There's no denying, baby, I'm done with your backseat driving.'_

Jimmy snickered as the snippet of song started to repeat, and Brian was grinning wide as he asked, "Aren't you gonna answer it?"

Tej sighed and picked up the phone, thumbing the accept button as he started back towards the table. "Hey Rick." Brian started laughing and Tej smirked slightly. "Whatcha need?"

"Brian hasn't answered his phone in a few days," Rick replied immediately. "The _only_ reason I'm not panicking is that I know he made it there and you'll keep him out of trouble."

Tej laughed softly. "Yeah, he hasn't left the garage." He wasn't going to go into the problems Brian had been having with Brian sitting across the table from him. "He's been busy playing with anything that me and Jimmy point him at."

"Better than therapy," Brian said cheerfully, smiling wide and happy, and Tej had to laugh softly.

"At least he sounds happy," Rick said, obviously amused. "Would you please make him find the damn phone though, and maybe actually _carry it_ for a change? I'd like to talk to him once in a while."

"Sure," Tej agreed easily, "I bet it's in the Mustang's floor still. That's where I saw it last." He moved the phone away from his mouth a little, smirking at Brian as he said, "Baby, poppa bear wants you to find your phone."

Brian blinked and then laughed as he stood up to walk towards the private bay, which was still closed. "I think you're right, it probably is in the car. I haven't seen it anywhere else."

Jimmy chuckled and stood. "I'm gonna get started on that Mazda." Tej smiled and nodded, and Jimmy walked off towards the office to go get the keys for the first car he was working on that day.

"How's Brian really doing?" Rick asked, more serious than before.

Tej watched Brian run the wide bay door up, murmuring, "He's better today."

Rick was quiet a moment and then asked, "Have the nightmares been bad?"

"Only when he's alone," Tej replied very softly, still watching Brian as he opened the car door to lean into the Mustang. "You should have told me about them."

"I figured you'd see them for yourself," Rick pointed out. "I wasn't expecting Brian would _ever_ sleep alone once he got there, Tej."

"Things were kind of complicated," Tej murmured, "but he won't be alone again."

"Good," Rick said firmly. "Have you gotten him racing yet?"

"Not yet, but I set up a meet for tonight," Tej replied quietly, lips twitching as Brian flipped the Mustang's driver's seat forward and started pulling trash out of the back floorboard. He had noticed on the way to get barbecue the other day that Brian had been throwing empty drink bottles and food wrappers back there for a while, judging by how many were there. He had teased Brian then about losing shit under the mess, and sure enough, Brian was digging through it to look for his phone. "He's gonna get to introduce himself and his pony to the folks here."

Rick let out a little huff of a laugh. "I'd say to tell him to be careful, but I followed him and watched him race that car a couple weeks ago. The kid is scary good behind the wheel. He had it jumping up off the line like a damn funny car and the guys he was racing had no prayer at all."

"He's the _best_ ," Tej agreed, smiling. "He doesn't believe it, though. He'll tell you that it's me, or that guy Dom, but that's his heart talking."

Rick was silent for a moment and then asked softly, "He told you about Toretto?"

"Who?" Tej asked, a little confused.

"Dominic Toretto," Rick replied, "the guy who got him sent to prison."

"Some," Tej said, watching as Brian finally laughed and backed out of the car with his phone.

"Found it," Brian said, grinning at Tej.

"Awesome," Tej called with a laugh. "Now pick up all that trash you just spread everywhere, baby boy. This is a garage, you slob, not a _landfill_."

"Bite me!" Brian said cheerfully, but he pocketed the phone and headed for the shelves where they kept the cleaning supplies and several sizes of trash bags.

"Later, baby," Tej said, smirking. "Clean out the rest of that trash in your car while you're at it. Last thing you need is shit flying around while you're racing tonight."

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you," Brian replied with a grin as he started back towards his car with a trash bag. "You want me to detail her while I'm at it?"

"Naw, you got real work to do today," Tej replied, still smirking. "You can detail her on your own time."

Brian just laughed and moved to start picking up the trash he had scattered.

"I'm glad you called him out there, Tej," Rick said then, and he sounded relieved. "He sounds better than he has in over a year."

"He's doing good today," Tej agreed softly, smiling as he watched Brian kneel to chase a rolling plastic bottle under the Mustang. There was no denying how much happier Brian was that morning, how much more relaxed and at peace, and Tej was determined to make sure he stayed that way. He wasn't sure if it was because Brian finally talked about some of what was tormenting him so much or if it was simply sleeping with Tej and then being reminded how much Tej loved him, but he figured he could make sure both kept happening. Suki would be unhappy, but the more Tej saw of how badly Brian needed him, the more he realized that he would give up even Suki if he had to for Brian. It would hurt, and he'd probably never stop missing her, but he knew what his choice would be if it came down to it. Jimmy was right, Suki could go on without him, but Tej was pretty sure that Brian couldn't.

"The happiest I've seen him in over a year was after he decided to head out there," Rick said quietly. "He missed you even more than he misses Rome."

"I missed him too," Tej murmured, not really surprised. Brian had missed Rome, but he hadn't been slow to give Tej his heart and his trust. "Leavin' him behind to try and make us a future was the hardest thing I ever did."

Rick was quiet for a few moments before he asked, "You planned to come back for him?"

"Always," Tej replied quietly.

" _He_ didn't know that, though," Rick said, sounding a little annoyed. "You never told him you'd be back for him."

Tej hesitated, not wanting to risk Brian overhearing, but then Brian climbed into the Mustang after the rest of the trash and he said very softly, "I didn't want to disappoint him if it didn't work out, Rick. The circuit's nothing like racing in the desert. If things had gone bad, I didn't want to go home to find him as disappointed in me as I woulda been in myself."

"You were that sure he'd wait?" Rick asked.

"I decided before I left that I'd take just having him as my best friend if I had to," Tej admitted softly. "As long as he's somewhere close enough I can take care of him and watch him bein' happy, I'm gonna be fine."

Rick fell silent, thinking about that, then asked suddenly, "Did it work out? On the circuit?"

"Yeah," Tej replied. "I had to quit before I planned, I wanted to finish out that last season, but we're good. I invested most of what I made in real estate, rental properties scattered all over California, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. Even if we never make another dime off racing or the garage, we're set."

"And you're just going to share it all with Brian?" Rick asked, sounding surprised.

"I pushed so hard _for_ Brian," Tej murmured softly. "I damn near died in the wreck that ended it, and I near gave up after because I ended up in a wheelchair a while, but I filed a will before I ever left, Rick. If something happens to me, Brian gets _everything_."

"What kind of everything are we talking here, Tej?" Rick asked, curious. "Just how good did you do?"

"I got six figures in the bank right now," Tej replied quietly, watching Brian head out towards the dumpster with the bag of trash. "The rentals bring in about twenty grand every month, and the garage and a couple other businesses I have are making a profit now, too. Like I said, we're set for life."

"Jesus," Rick murmured, sounding shocked. "How did you _do_ all that?"

"I'm good with numbers," Tej replied, amused. "And I won a _lot._ I didn't do like most drivers and waste it on women and fancy shit I don't need, Rick. I got an uncle who's a real estate lawyer, and he got me in with a financial advisor he knew. My uncle is overseeing the rentals for me so I don't have to mess with them, takes his cut off the top before the rest goes to my bank, and the finance guy still gives me advice if I need it." He paused and then added, "While Bri's out tossing his trash, I gotta ask you a favor."

"Shoot," Rick agreed.

"Find out the details on Dom's house for me," Tej said quietly. "Bri's all tore up about it."

"He blames himself," Rick said with a sigh. "Visiting him in Chino I never once saw him cry, not even when he was hurt so bad he nearly _died_ , but when he found out that house was for sale he was a wreck."

"I need the address," Tej murmured, watching Brian walk back into the garage. "I know you got that somewhere."

"What are you planning, Tej?" Rick asked.

"To buy it," Tej replied very softly. Brian was heading quickly for the back of the garage, and he pulled the phone away from his mouth a bit as he raised his voice, asking, "Where you going, baby?"

"To check my bag for my charger," Brian replied with a little laugh. "It's not in the car."

Tej laughed. "If you lost it, we prob'ly got another in the office. I keep a box of extras, folks are always wanting one."

"Good deal," Brian said easily, walking out the back door.

"You're just gonna buy him a _house_?" Rick asked him then.

"If it makes him happier right now, I'd buy him _five_ ," Tej replied truthfully. "If I gotta sell something else to make it happen, I will. It's not like the rentals are _important_ to me. They're just numbers in my books, but Dom's place felt like _home_ to Brian and he's hating himself because Dom lost that house his grandfather built. I can't fix everything that's hurting him, but I can fix that."

Rick was silent a few moments and then murmured, "I'm glad he's got you taking care of him, Tej. Thank you."

"I'm not doing it for you, Rick, or even for him," Tej pointed out quietly. "I'm doing it for _me_."

"How do you figure?" Rick asked, surprised again.

"I can't be happy unless I know he is," Tej said simply. Brian walked back into the garage with a tangle of wire in one hand, grinning and looking pleased, and Tej smiled. "Text me that info when you find it, poppa bear," he added in a more normal tone. "Bri and I need to get busy, we got an engine to rebuild this morning."

"Alright," Rick agreed, then added soft and sincere, "I owe you, Tej."

"Not a thing," Tej disagreed, smiling at Brian as he walked towards him. "Bri's gotta charge his phone, but then he'll have it with him if you wanna call him later."

"Sounds great," Rick said quickly, pleased. "Talk to you soon."

"Anytime," Tej replied, then Rick hung up and he shut the phone off, smiling up at Brian. "There's an extra outlet by the coffee machine, unless you want it in your bay."

"Out here's good, we've got that engine to do," Brian said, smiling as he moved towards the counter that held the huge coffee pot that was perpetually making another pot.

Half the people who came by the garage got themselves a cup of coffee and one of the variety of creamers Tej kept stocked in bins next to it, but Jimmy drank more of the coffee than any of them so Tej figured it was a good investment. Jimmy _lived_ on coffee some days, it was his favorite thing besides pizza or donuts.

 

~*~*~

 

They finished the cars that were in for actual work to be done on them that day long before the official closing time of six. They started the day with nothing left over from the previous day and just three jobs that had come in that morning, and only four more came in during the course of the day so it was easy to stay ahead of them. Tej even had time to finish all the paperwork and start the ball rolling with his uncle on buying the house in Echo Park, talking with him in the office while Brian was busy fixing a problem with the timing chain on a classic Corvette.

Rico still had half a dozen cars lined up to be washed and detailed, but that was normal for a night when there were races scheduled and Rico's brother-in-law Mitch was there to help out so they were making quick work of them. There would probably be more cars join the queue to be washed before the garage locked up at ten to get ready for the races across town, but everyone knew Rico and Mitch charged double for anyone who showed up after-hours. Tej let them use the wash rack right up until he locked up before races, but after six Tej wasn't in it and let Rico and Mitch keep everything they made.

It had been a slow day overall, mostly because Brian was there now. Nobody really recognized his name so people weren't scheduling repairs with Brian yet and he ended up either working cars that came in with no preference or helping out Tej and Jimmy on their jobs, which made them go twice as fast. Tej loved finally working alongside Brian again and how Brian still seemed to read his mind, knowing what they needed to do and how without ever needing told. Brian was as quick and efficient at making most repairs as Jimmy was, and Jimmy was enjoying working with him more than he enjoyed working with anyone except Tej.

Jimmy had already claimed Brian as part of his tiny family, accepting him freely and easily, and he and Brian were trading secrets back and forth almost constantly. Brian had been good even when Tej had been teaching him about cars, always quick to pick up anything he was shown, but sometime after Tej left, Brian had surpassed him by quite a bit. Tej had overheard Jimmy tell one of their regulars earlier that he could already tell that working with Brian was making him a better mechanic, which was kind of scary if Tej thought about it too much. Jimmy was one of the best mechanics _alive_ , a legend out on the circuit where people had called him 'the Wizard', and the fact he learned _anything_ from Brian said all Tej needed to know about Brian's abilities.

The Skyline was Jimmy's pet project at the moment, the platform that he and Brian used to demonstrate things and to share ideas, and Tej was very sure that when they finished her she'd be the fastest thing on the road. Jimmy was one of the best at tuning a car for top speed and power, and Brian had become an expert at tuning for sprint speed and agility, and when they put their heads together, they were coming up with new ideas that left Tej in awe. They hadn't actually tried the Skyline out yet, she hadn't left the bay since they began, but her onboard computer's diagnostics programming was some of the best available and _already_ had several ultra high performance hacks in it, and Jimmy had told Tej earlier that afternoon that he needed to tweak it even further. They had maxed out what the computer could understand in half a dozen areas, and Jimmy wanted Tej to up the possible maximums in _every category_.

The garage was empty that evening other than the people loitering around out front, so Brian and Jimmy had drifted to the Skyline again. They were leaning together under her hood, both of them grinning while they talked about something, and Tej was sure that whatever they had come up with was probably going to cost him more programming time. Every time he saw them looking so excited and happy so far they had maxed out at least one category, and they had only been working together a few nights. In a month Tej was going to be writing brand new programming for the Skyline just to keep up with them, he was sure, but for now he was just going to tweak what was there.

Tej got so distracted thinking about how to shift the upper limits in the diagnostic program that he didn't notice anyone approaching him until Suki suddenly leaned down in front of him, looking unhappy. "Hello?"

"Hey baby girl," Tej said quickly, surprised. "When did you get here?"

"About five minutes ago," Suki replied softly, frowning slightly as she moved to sit down next to him. She looked towards Brian and Jimmy and then back at him, asking, "Is he really that fascinating to you? I said hi _twice_ and you didn't even hear me."

"I was thinking about the computer in the car," Tej replied, amused. "Jimmy wants me to tweak her diagnostics and I've been trying to decide how high I need to ramp up the max values."

Suki blinked and then her frown cleared and she looked a little sheepish. "Oh! Why don't you just put in Kali's hacks?"

"We _started_ with her hacks, baby girl," Tej pointed out with a little laugh.

Suki's eyes widened and she stared at Tej. "And Jimmy suddenly figured out how to _max them out_?"

"Jimmy _and Brian_ did, yeah," Tej corrected, a little surprised by the way she seemed to just completely dismiss that Brian was working on the car too.

Suki looked skeptical. "Jimmy is the best, how could Brian _possibly_ be helping him?"

"Because he's even better at some things than I am," Jimmy said dryly, dropping into one of the other chairs. "He's been teaching me all kinds of stuff."

Tej looked towards the bay, wondering what Brian was doing, then looked towards Jimmy, surprised. "Where did Bri go?"

"His dad just called again," Jimmy replied easily. "His phone gets crappy reception in here, so he went out back to talk."

"Brian actually knows something about cars?" Suki asked, looking at Jimmy. "I thought he was just doing the gravy work."

Jimmy laughed. "He knows more already than you probably _ever_ will, Suki girl." Suki looked annoyed, and Jimmy added a little more pointedly, "Brian is as good as _I_ am on most things, even _better_ on some of it. You can't even come _close_. He knows imports _and_ classic muscle like the back of his hand, and he's not even twenty-five yet. Give him a few years and he'll be one of the top wrenches in the world."

"Brian's not here just to hang out and be _beautiful_ ," Tej said then, frowning. Suki looked at him quickly, obviously hurt by the hint she was, but Tej was annoyed enough not to care too much at the moment. "He's been my equal under the hood since he was nineteen, and he's _always_ been a better driver. He'll tell you he's not, but that's his heart talking, not reality. He was _seventeen_ the first time he beat someone _I_ couldn't beat, and he did it with my car."

Suki stared at Tej, still looking a little upset but mostly looking surprised. "In _your_ car?"

Tej nodded. "He had only raced a few times then and the guy thought he was going to make some easy money, but Brian beat him without even trying hard. I was so damn proud of him."

"And Brian's learned a _lot_ about cars since Tej was teaching him," Jimmy added then, making Suki look at him again. "Tej is good under the hood, but Brian makes him look like an amateur now. If I took him out on the circuit and let them see how good he is, they'd be _fighting_ to get him to wrench for them." He let out a little huff of a laugh. "Especially on the sprint circuit. The kid knows tricks I never saw before, and his car is _amazing_. I never drove one that's so fast off the line."

"So he _really_ did everything on the Mustang?" Suki asked, looking from Jimmy to Tej and back.

"My dad's got pictures of her the day after I bought her," Brian said suddenly. Tej looked towards him and saw Brian was frowning slightly as he walked towards them, his phone still in hand. "I found her next to a junkyard right after I got out of Chino and she was in sorry shape except for the engine. Dad took a lot of pictures before I got started on her, he was hoping I'd need them for a resume. No one has touched her since but me, except when I let Jimmy check her out."

"And Brian has turned her into the sweetest Mustang I ever saw," Jimmy added, giving Suki a dirty look.

Suki looked at Jimmy a moment longer and then looked at Brian. "It _is_ beautiful," she admitted quietly. "I'm sorry, Brian. I didn't realize you really know so much."

Brian walked around the table to drop into the empty chair between Tej and Jimmy, looking at Suki a little pensively. "I know you don't like me, Suki, and I get why, I really do, but I wish you had at least given me a chance before you decided I'm just here to be an easy piece of ass on the side for Tej."

Suki blushed very red at that and Tej snorted, looking at Brian. "Don't make me kick your ass, Twinkie."

Brian laughed and looked at Tej. "Bring it, Swiss Roll. I'm only easy when I _want_ to be."

Tej looked at Brian a moment, trying to stay serious, but he couldn't and after a moment he laughed too, then said firmly, "Stop talking shit about my baby boy. I'm picky as _Hell_ , for your information. Ask Jimmy, I haven't touched another guy since I left Cali."

"And damn few girls," Jimmy agreed. "Like three." He laughed. " _Including_ Suki."

"Makes two of us," Brian pointed out, amused.

Tej laughed. "You left California a week and a half ago."

"I meant since _you_ left," Brian said, looking a little more serious but still smiling at Tej. "I'm not counting Chino, none of that was my idea."

Tej was surprised Brian mentioned what happened in Chino in front of Suki and Jimmy, but he was pleased, too. He wanted Brian to feel like he didn't have to hide anything from them, good or bad. "I don't count Chino either," Tej agreed. "So you've dated what, one person since me?" He remembered Brian talking about Bilkins making him date that girl Mia, but Brian hadn't mentioned anyone else.

"Yeah. I dated her a few times, slept with her once," Brian said quietly, smiling as he gazed into Tej's eyes. "Mia barely counts though."

"Yeah, you don't even really _notice_ women, baby boy," Tej said, amused. " _Had_ to be her idea, like those three girls back in high school."

Brian let out a little bit of a laugh. "Well yeah, but I could have said no."

"So she doesn't count either," Jimmy said then, making Brian and Tej both look at him, and he smirked. "Y'all are _pitiful_. I got more play this _month_ than both of you put together got in the last four _years_ , and _I_ don't get out much."

Tej laughed. "Oh shut up. I can't help it I got plumb _ruined_ by this sweet, _beautiful_ kid who proved to me it really is better with someone you love."

Brian smiled wryly, blushing. "You make me sound like such a _girl_ , Tej."

Jimmy laughed as Tej smirked at Brian, suddenly wicked. "No, baby boy, you're _all_ man. Last time I was still feelin' it the next morning."

Brian laughed, surprised and blushing even redder. "Jesus, Tej!"

Tej just smirked at him, dark eyes sparkling. "Just the truth, baby."

"I think I should go," Suki said suddenly. Tej looked towards her and saw she was upset. "I _was_ going to ask about dinner, but I'm not sure I want to anymore."

Tej sighed, his amusement fading. "Don't be like that, baby girl."

"How do you expect me to feel?" Suki asked, frowning. "If I was talking about how much I enjoyed another man in bed in front of you, you'd never want to see me again!"

"I never said a word about you and your girls, though," Tej pointed out with a frown, making Suki's eyes go wide. "I'm not _stupid_ , Suki, or blind. Rachel _told me_ she gets with you, and I kinda think you've been hookin' up with Michelle too, the way she is about you." He snorted. "And Kali wouldn't surprise me any, I know she gets with Rachel too. They let Jack watch and he was telling anyone who'd listen about how hot it was for a solid _week_."

Jimmy snickered, nodding. "Until Kali heard and kicked his ass."

Suki ignored Jimmy as she stared at Tej for a moment, blushing, then said quietly, "That's not the same."

Tej laughed, surprised. "How do you figure that?"

"Guys think two girls together is sexy," Suki replied, still blushing. "You probably just want to watch too, like Jack."

"If you ever saw Brian like _I've_ seen him, baby girl, you'd be _begging_ _us_ to let you watch," Tej said firmly, amused. "And for the record, Rachel and Kali both got nothin' I want except for _you_."

Suki looked at Tej for a moment and then looked at Brian, frowning slightly as she just stared at him. She finally shook her head and looked at Tej again. "I don't think so. He's just not sexy to me. He's like an overgrown Golden Retriever."

Brian laughed, amused even though he was blushing. "Don't worry, Suki. I don't understand what he sees in me either."

"Stop that shit," Tej said firmly, giving Brian a dirty look.

"That's just the _truth_ ," Brian said quickly with another little laugh. "I _don't_ understand it, I never have."

"You don't have to _understand_ , Bri," Jimmy said, amused. "Just accept that he loves you."

"I know he _loves_ me," Brian said quickly, surprised. "I never doubted that for a _minute_. He loves me just as much as he loves Suki. I just don't get _why_. I've been messed up since before he ever met me."

"It doesn't bother you that he loves me?" Suki asked, frowning at Brian.

"Why would it bother me?" Brian asked, confused. "It doesn't mean he loves me less now or that loving you will make him forget about me. Tej ain't like that, Suki girl. He's like me, if he loves you, it's forever. He just loves us different ways."

Suki stared at Brian for a long moment and then murmured, "I hadn't thought of it like that."

"Well, you should," Brian said, bemused. "It's like comparing apples to oranges."

"Bananas and peaches," Tej corrected with a little smirk. "I'd say melons, but I don't like nibbling on them as much."

Brian laughed. "Don't start down that road."

Tej grinned wickedly. "But I like that road. It's my _favorite_ road."

Brian snorted, trying not to grin. "Yeah, I know, but you're gonna get yourself into trouble with your girl. Again."

Tej snickered. "Prob'ly, I'm good at that." He gave Suki a wry little smile and noticed that she was blushing. "She still doesn't really believe you're my best friend."

"People don't sleep with their friends," Suki pointed out quietly.

"I'm sure Rachel will be sad to hear that," Tej replied, amused. "According to her, you're so amazing you should offer Jack _lessons_."

Suki blushed even redder but she giggled, too. "No, Jack's just that _horrible_."

Jimmy and Brian both laughed as Tej smirked and said, "That's not what _she_ said."

"Stop listening to her." Suki was still blushing and looking embarrassed. "She won't be with him much longer anyway, she's got a new guy she likes a lot more, this cop she picked up." She giggled slightly. "He stopped her for speeding in her 'Vette the same day Jimmy got it running for her."

"Knowing her, I bet she didn't get a ticket," Tej said dryly, amused. Rachel had bought an ugly old Corvette for a song because it had been wrecked and then the motor seized up from being parked too long. Jimmy had gotten it running in just a few hours and was working on the body a little at a time for her, working bondo into deep scratches and dents and pounding out the worst of the damage. She couldn't afford to get all the work done at once, even with Jimmy only charging her for parts and supplies. Rachel didn't believe in working for a living and was perpetually broke. "That girl gets around." He laughed. " _Everyone_."

"Yeah, he got laid instead," Suki agreed with a little smirk. "She didn't give him her name or anything, so he stopped her again next time he saw her car. He's pulled her over like a dozen times now, she says he's fantastic."

"Cops can be pretty spectacular in bed," Tej said, smirking.

Suki looked surprised. "How would you know?"

Tej looked at Brian, still smirking. "Personal experience."

"I used to be a cop," Brian admitted with a little laugh, blushing. Suki stared at him and Brian explained, "Dad's a cop, and after Tej left he drove me nuts trying to get me to go into the Academy. I wanted to make him proud of me so bad I finally caved, even let Dad talk me into not talking to my racing buddies, that's how Tej and I lost touch." He smiled crookedly, sad and a little wry. "I hated it. Didn't even make it a year before I was tuning up a fast car and going to watch the races, disappointing Dad again."

"You're a top wrench and Tej says you're the best driver he's ever seen," Jimmy pointed out. "Why would your dad make you give that up?"

"Dad doesn't see racing as a _career_ ," Brian replied quietly. "Not unless I want to do it on a track, and I don't. He thinks street racing is just a dangerous hobby, something I oughta grow out of." He smiled wryly. "At least he's finally given in on me being a grease monkey and isn't trying to make me get a real job anymore." He looked at Tej, adding, "Speaking of jobs, though, he called again because he wanted me to know he'll be heading here in a couple weeks, he just gave his notice. The closest station here was all over it when he called to see if there were any openings for a detective with fourteen years experience on the force, said they'll put him to work as soon as he gets here."

"What's he going to do with his house in Reseda?" Tej asked, surprised.

"I dunno, he didn't say," Brian said with a little shrug. "He was already talking coming out here with me when I left, though. Said if I'm staying, then he wants to be here too."

Tej smiled, forgetting all about Rick and his house for the moment. "So you _are_ staying?" He had asked Brian to stay with him, but Brian hadn't ever actually answered him.

Brian smiled, his blue eyes going soft and warm. "Yeah. I told him that when he called earlier. Being here feels more like home than anywhere I've been in a _long_ time."

"I'm glad," Tej murmured, smiling a little wider. "Havin' you here makes it feel more like home for me, too. I've been missing my best friend for a _long_ time."

"You won't be any more," Brian said, his smile widening into a grin as he looked at Suki, teasing, "As long as your girl doesn't kill me."

Tej looked at Suki too and laughed at the look on her face. She definitely looked annoyed, and he grinned at her as he said easily, "Don't worry, baby boy. I won't let her hurt you. If she wants to beat on somebody, she can hit me, I won't mind."

Suki stared at Tej, eyes widening, and Jimmy laughed.

"That is so much more than I wanted to know about what y'all do, Tej," Brian said, still grinning.

"We don't do anything!" Suki said quickly, blushing.

"Dammit," Tej added with a wry grin. "I'm lucky just to get a _kiss_ every once in a while." He looked at Brian. "She makes me _crazy_ sometimes, walkin' around so sexy and teasin' me with that gorgeous little body of hers, then laughin' in my face and breezing off with her girls when I try to get with her."

"I know," Brian agreed, grinning. "I'm gonna have fun watching her lead you around by the balls."

"If you encourage her doing that shit, you're paying for it with your _ass_ ," Tej said quickly, laughing.

Brian smirked. "Y'know, threats are supposed to be _scary_."

"That wasn't a threat," Tej pointed out with a smirk of his own. "That was a _warning._ "

"Promises, promises," Brian replied, looking over at Suki with an easy grin, changing the subject abruptly. "Where did you want to get dinner, Suki girl? I don't know about anyone else, but I'm starving."

Suki gave Brian a cold look as she said, "I was hoping Tej and I could go out together. Alone."

Tej frowned slightly at her, surprised and a little annoyed. She might as well have slapped Brian.

Brian let out a little snort of a laugh, trying to act amused even though his blue eyes were a little pained as he looked at Jimmy. "Alright then, where would _you_ like to get dinner, bro?  My treat."

Jimmy gave Suki a dirty look, then looked over at Brian. "I don't care, those biscuits we had for breakfast were so long ago I'd eat _McDonalds_ right now."

Brian smiled a little more sincerely. "No man, real food. You know any decent steakhouses or something?"

"There's a great place out by the beach," Jimmy replied, grinning suddenly. "A steak sounds good, especially if I'm not paying."

"Count me in, too," Tej agreed, making Brian look at him in surprise. Tej looked at Suki, asking a little pointedly, "You coming, Suki?"

Suki stared at him for a few moments and then finally said, "No, I'll just get something _by myself_."

"Suit yourself," Tej agreed, then added, "Just remember that Bri and I always want you with us."

Suki frowned at Tej for a few moments and then looked at Brian. "Do you _really_ want me to come? You're not just saying it for Tej?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't," Brian replied, surprised. " _You're_ the one with a problem here, Suki, not me. Tej loves you and that makes you part of my _family_ as far as I'm concerned. Anyone that makes him happy is gonna make _me_ happy."

"Right back at you, baby boy," Tej said, smiling when Brian looked at him. "I just wanna see you happy and safe. As long as you are, I'm good."

"I'm working on it," Brian said quietly, smiling. "You've already helped more than you realize."

"Still not out of the woods yet, though," Tej pointed out gently.

"No, but I can see the sun again," Brian murmured with a sweet little smile, his blue eyes going gentle and warm. "Before you called, I wasn't sure there even _was_ any light left in the world, not for me."

"It'll get better, baby," Tej said softly, smiling at Brian even though it made him sad to think about Brian losing hope like that. "We'll get rid of those demons pulling you down, just gonna take a little time."

"I actually believe that now," Brian agreed quietly.

"You better," Tej said firmly. "You promised me you wouldn't give up."

"I remember," Brian replied. "You promised never to leave me behind again, too."

"Miami's home," Tej agreed. "The only way we're ever gonna split again is if _you_ leave."

"I can't think of _anything_ that could make me want to go," Brian murmured with that sweet smile that always made Tej want to kiss him. "Not for long, anyway. I might visit Grandma Lily or something, but I'll always come back."

Tej smiled wider. "Glad to hear it." He just gazed into Brian's sparkling blue eyes a moment, enjoying the warmth and love so bright in them, then finally dragged his gaze away to look at the clock over the coffee pot, then at Suki. "It's almost eight already, we should get going if we're gonna eat in a real restaurant before the meet. You coming?"

Suki was obviously unhappy, her eyes a little sad, but she said quietly, "If you really want me there."

"I _always_ want you with me," Tej pointed out.

"Not always," Suki disagreed. "Not when you think _Brian_ needs you."

"I _know_ Brian needs me right now," Tej corrected. "But what part of wantin' to spend my life with you don't you get, baby girl?"

"You want to spend your life with him, too," Suki pointed out softly.

"I'm his _best friend_ , not the girl he's in love with," Brian said gently, making Suki look at him. "I hate that I'm the cause of you getting hurt, Suki, but..." He hesitated, blushing and looking away as he admitted very quietly, "I've been trying to get by alone and it's just not working." He looked back at Suki, obviously embarrassed and sad. "I don't want him to lose you because I'm such a wreck, but right now I _need_ him.Tej can pull me out of the shit in my head and _keep_ me out of it, and nobody else has ever been able to do that for me."

Suki stared into Brian's eyes for a few moments and then said softly, "I don't want to lose him either, Brian, but it's really hard to see how much he loves you."

"He loves you just as much," Brian pointed out. "Prob'ly more. You just don't see it because you keep trying so hard to keep him at arm's length." He smiled crookedly. "I was never that strong. When I love someone, I want to show them how I feel. It's just how I am."

"It's not a bad thing, baby boy," Tej said then, standing up. "At least I never have to wonder where I stand with you."

"In front of me," Brian said immediately, smiling. "I've always got your back."

Tej laughed. "You should drive your pony to dinner, then we can go straight to the meet after."

"Fine with me," Brian agreed, standing up too. "I never mind driving. You riding with me or Suki?"

Tej looked at Suki, not saying anything, just waiting. Suki looked at him a few moments and then said softly, "I'd like you to be with _me_."

"Good," Brian said with a wide pleased smile. He started toward the Mustang, adding, "Jimmy can give me directions."

"Yep, easy," Jimmy agreed, moving to follow Brian.

Tej offered Suki his hand, smiling at her as he murmured, "Come on, baby girl. I want to get there soon so we have time to enjoy dinner instead of rushing through it."

Suki stood and took his hand. "Sounds nice."

Tej started towards her Honda, smiling as he looked towards the wash bay and called, "Rico, lock up when you get done. You and Mitch can meet us with the trucks later."

Rico looked up from the car he was washing, lifting one hand to give Tej a thumb's up. "You got it, boss! We'll be there."

"See you," Tej replied. He walked with Suki to her Honda and then let go of her hand to head for the passenger side. He had just reached the door when he heard the Mustang rumble to life and he paused there to watch a moment as Brian pulled out into the main bay, stopping to wait while Jimmy closed the private bay and locked it. Seeing Jimmy lock the door made him remember he needed to get copies of his set of keys made. Brian still didn't have any and Tej wanted him to have keys for all the doors, his truck, and the Skyline just in case Brian needed them.

Tej got into the car with Suki, smiling at her as he murmured, "I'm glad you decided to come."

Suki smiled slightly, but her eyes were unhappy as she started the car. "Sometimes I want it to be just us, though."

"Of course," Tej replied, surprised. The Mustang pulled out of the garage past them and Suki started after it, but Tej barely noticed, too busy watching her as he said gently, "I just don't want Brian getting lost in his head before he _races,_ baby girl. I don't want him thinking about going into a wall anymore."

Suki looked at him, surprised. "He's _suicidal_?"

"He has been," Tej admitted softly. "His dad was really scared for him, darlin', and after some of the stuff Bri's told me, I gotta think he was right to be. Brian's putting up a good front, better than he _ever_ could before, but he's been just barely hanging on a long time. He was deadly serious when he was talking about feeling like he had no hope left."

Suki thought about that a few minutes and then finally said quietly, "I don't want him to _die_. It just hurts that you love him more."

"Not more, baby girl," Tej disagreed, making her look at him. "Just different. He was right about that."

Suki looked ahead of them and watched the Mustang for a couple of minutes before she said, "He's never going to stop needing you."

"No, probably not," Tej agreed quietly, watching her. "I won't ever stop needing him either, but I don't think he'll be in my bed for long."

Suki looked at him, frowning. "Why not? He's crazy about you."

Tej smiled, wry and a little amused. "Because he likes you, baby girl, and he knows I love you. He won't want to get in the way once he's good on his own. He _tried_ to tell me he'd be fine sleeping alone already, but he was lying. The nightmares were tearing him apart and he didn't sleep for two days, but he still wanted me to stay in that empty house of mine because he didn't want to upset you."

Suki didn't say anything else, and Tej wasn't sure what else to say that might actually help, so they were both quiet as they followed the Mustang towards the beach.

Tej laughed softly when the Mustang turned into the parking lot of an Outback Steakhouse a little while later. "All the fancy steak houses out here on the beach, and Jimmy wants to go here."

Suki didn't reply and Tej looked at her, his amusement fading away as he watched her park the car and turn it off. "I'm not getting with you until it's over with him," Suki said then, still not looking at him. "I won't share you with him."

"Okay," Tej agreed softly, thinking about the ring he bought for her. "But when the time comes I expect the same thing from you, darlin'." Suki looked at him, surprised, and he added, "I won't share you with your girls, either."

Suki looked into his eyes for a few moments and then nodded. "Okay." She turned away to get out without another word, still looking unhappy and serious.

Tej sighed and got out of the car, wondering if he should have just let her go eat somewhere else. The last thing Brian needed was to go into a race feeling like Tej might be better off without him.

 

~*~*~

 

By the time Suki stormed out of Outback Steakhouse, Tej wanted to give her a piece of his mind in a major way.

Brian had tried hard to pull her into a conversation at first, but Suki obviously didn't want to talk to him and after a little while he gave up. Suki tried to talk to Tej without including Brian or even Jimmy, who had made it pretty plain he thought Suki was being rude, but Tej wasn't going to let her play that game. While they waited for their food he got Brian and Jimmy started on a conversation about what to expect from the races that night instead, which led to talking about how Brian would need to drive. He was used to California street racing, which was almost always a straight sprint under a mile, but Miami street racing was usually between three and five miles and seldom straight.

Tej had expected Brian might be worried about the idea of racing in a completely different way, but Brian was grinning before long and telling them about stealing cars as a kid. Jimmy and Tej were soon grinning too and asking him questions to keep him talking, and Brian seemed to forget all about Suki snubbing him as he shared a few of the crazy stunts he had done in a car. Tej had known Brian used to boost cars and that he was fearless behind the wheel, but hearing some of the things Brian had done surprised even him. He would never even consider jumping a car over an irrigation canal or off an embankment, but Brian had done both.

Suki ended up just watching them talk for a little while, and it was only a few minutes after the food had arrived at the table when she suddenly spoke up, frowning. "I'm _done_." She stood and tossed her napkin into her plate of steak and lobster, adding, "I'm going to go pick up Kali."

Jimmy was fed up with her by then and ignored her completely, but Brian smiled at Suki and said, "Have fun."

Suki ignored him, looking at Tej. "I'll see you at the races."

"Maybe," Tej agreed coolly, annoyed she had been so obnoxious _and_ ordered an expensive dinner not intending to stay. Fighting with her wasn't going to help, though, especially with Brian right there, so he tried to keep his temper under control. He didn't want to provoke her into being cruel to Brian instead of just rude. "Enjoy your girls."

Suki stared at him a moment, looking surprised and then angry as she turned and stalked out of the restaurant without another word.

Tej watched her go with a frown until Brian said suddenly, "Next time, go out with just her, Tej." Tej looked at Brian quickly, still frowning, and Brian added softly, "She doesn't want anything to do with me, and I can't really blame her."

"I can," Tej said firmly, frowning. "I don't treat Rachel like crap for sleeping with her, and she's not gonna treat you like crap either."

"Suki didn't even act like she really wanted to get with Tej until you showed up," Jimmy added, making Brian look at him in surprise. "She's just being a jealous little brat, Bri. She wants to make all the rules and keep Tej at her beck and call, but I bet cash money if he _did_ do exactly as she said she'd start ignoring him again."

"You really think so?" Brian said, surprised.

"For sure," Jimmy said firmly. "She wouldn't even go eat lunch with him until she saw you two go out the day after you got here. After you left her girls started talking about how Tej never takes _her_ anywhere, and I heard her tell them Tej will do anything she wants him to do, she just hadn't wanted him to take her out yet. Rachel told her to prove it, and Suki's been wanting him to go out ever since."

"Seriously?" Tej said, surprised and frowning. It hurt to realize Suki might have so suddenly started wanting to spend time with him just to impress her girls, not because she really did want to be with him.

"Yeah," Jimmy replied, giving him a slightly regretful look. "That's part of why I told you to stop worrying so much what she wants. I'm afraid she's been playing you at least some of the time." He paused and then said quietly, "The night Bri got here, after you two left, Julio said something about not knowing it was like that with Brian, and Suki told him it wouldn't be for long."

Tej snorted. "If she pushes too hard, she's going to get a rude awakening. I don't like games."

"I think she's really been upset," Brian said quietly, looking concerned and serious. "Maybe she just didn't realize what she had until she saw me walk off with her guy."

"That's still just jealousy, though," Jimmy pointed out quietly.

"She _said_ she loves me the other night when we talked," Tej said, still frowning slightly. "She seemed sincere, and I know she was really hurting."

" _Brian_ loves you," Jimmy said, meeting Tej's gaze. "He puts what you need first and wants you to be happy even when it hurts him."

"Tej hasn't hurt me," Brian protested, frowning at Jimmy.

Jimmy looked at Brian and said gently, "I heard the nightmares, Bri, and I saw your face when you came in the garage afterwards. There was a _lot_ of pain involved."

"They're not Tej's fault, though," Brian said quickly. "I've had them for _months_ , he didn't cause any of it."

"No, but he can _stop_ them," Jimmy pointed out softly. "When Tej is with you, the only noises I hear are the good kind."

Brian blushed very red. "Oh _God_. You can _hear us_?"

"I've heard you two a couple times," Jimmy said, obviously amused by Brian's embarrassment. "Stop trying to change the subject, though." He looked back at Tej, adding, "Until I see a lot more love and a little less jealousy out of Suki, you're gonna have to forgive me for not being as nice as I used to be, little brother."

"I hear you," Tej replied quietly. "You've got a point, but so does Bri. I believe she _is_ hurting, but she does want things her way. She keeps telling me she's okay with everything and wants me to take care of Brian, but then the moment he's around she acts completely the opposite."

"I just need to not be around so much when you're with her," Brian said quietly, making Tej and Jimmy both frown at him. Brian met Tej's gaze and pointed out, "It's not so much for her to ask, not wanting to _watch_ how much you love me. Would you want to watch me with another guy?"

"If you were happy and he treated you good, I'd buy him rubbers and lube and make sure he knew how much you like fingers and having your collarbone nibbled on," Tej said quietly, making Brian blush very red again while Jimmy fought not to laugh. "Jimmy made a good point, baby. You love me enough you want me happy more than anything and I feel the same way about you, but Suki, she's still thinking only about what will make _her_ happy."

"Might be time to point that out to her," Jimmy said, still a little amused.

Tej nodded slowly. "Yeah. She and I need to talk. When we're alone she keeps telling me she's good with me being with Brian, but the way she's treating him, she's lying to me."

"Maybe she's lying to herself, too," Brian pointed out. "And she's not being that mean to me. She just doesn't want to spend time with me. I get it, even if you two don't."

"Baby, I love you, but you'd let her beat you to make her happy right now because you think making her happy will make _me_ happy," Tej said quietly, making Brian look a little sheepish. "I don't want to get with her if it's always going to be a one way street, me doing everything she wants and her thinking it's just how things oughta be. I won't play like that. I'll give her the world, but I expect her to give back, too."

Brian was quiet for a few moments and then admitted, "That is how it should be."

"If it's not, then it's not love," Jimmy said firmly, making Tej and Brian both look at him. "I've driven this road before." He smiled wryly. "Trust me, you want to figure out if it's real _before_ she can take the house and garage."

Tej laughed. "I still say you needed a better lawyer."

Before Jimmy got married, he had owned his own house and had a small garage on the back of the property, restoring classic cars. After the divorce, he had just enough left to get through college for his master mechanic certifications, and then he hit the circuit at twenty-seven, jaded and determined not to make the same mistake ever again. Ten years later he was the Wizard, walking up to Tej after his third win and telling him that he was going to dominate and Jimmy wanted to help. At the end of that season, Tej let his crew chief go and Jimmy took over, and they hadn't gone more than a day or two apart since. Tej had been surprised at first by the way Jimmy acted half his age with strangers, playing like he was a dumb kid, but he was even more surprised that most people fell for it. Only family saw the _real_ Jimmy like Tej did, the extremely smart man who had been around the block enough to not be surprised by much anymore. Jimmy was real sometimes around Suki for Tej's sake, but he liked Brian enough he treated him like family.

"Probably," Jimmy agreed, amused. "But if I had someone to give me a little tough love and point out she was a manipulative bitch _before_ I got in so deep marriage seemed like a good idea, it would have saved me a lot of pain." He laughed. "And money."

"I really do think Suki's just hurting," Brian said, looking bemused. "I don't think it's an act, her eyes look too sad sometimes for her to be faking it."

"How many women have you dated, Bri?" Jimmy asked, smiling.

"Define dated," Brian replied, smiling wryly.

"Took them out somewhere at least three times and kissed them at some point on the date," Jimmy said quickly, amused. "Bonus points if you got laid."

Brian laughed, blushing and looking wry. "By that standard, just one. And… that was kinda because the FBI told me to get with her."

Jimmy laughed and then gave Brian a wide, amused grin. "Kid, I think you're awesome, but you don't get to give girl advice."

Brian smiled wryly, still blushing a little. "Yeah, I hear you."

Tej chuckled. "The scary thing is by that standard, I'm pretty sure Bri's only dated one person besides the girl."

Jimmy looked at Tej, surprised, then back at Brian. "Really?"

Brian smiled crookedly. "The guy before Tej never kissed me except while we were in juvie together, and since Tej there's been nobody but Mia." He looked at Tej, still smiling crookedly. "Though Tej and I didn't call it dating."

"If you made out or ended the night in bed together, it counts as a date," Jimmy said, amused. "Sex always trumps 'just friends'."

Tej laughed. "Not always, brother. If it did, Bri and I wouldn't both be in love with someone else."

Jimmy's eyebrows went up and he looked at Brian. "You left someone behind in California?"

"He left me behind," Brian corrected, his smile fading away. "I told him to go, though. Even gave him my car so he'd get away. That's why I went to Chino."

"But you still love him," Jimmy said quietly, still looking a little surprised.

"Yeah," Brian said simply.

"I thought you said there hadn't been anyone since Tej," Jimmy pointed out.

"There hasn't," Brian agreed quietly. "Dom never knew I was crazy about him." He paused and then added, "He's the one who taught me so much about ten second cars."

Jimmy frowned and murmured, "The same Dom you have _nightmares_ about?"

"The nightmares are all _Chino_ ," Brian said very quietly but firmly. "Dom never hurt me, not even the day he found out I was an undercover cop who had lied my way into his home and slept with his baby sister to try and get them to trust me more. Even after he knew what I had done he still saved my life and treated me like a friend."

"Damn, kid," Jimmy murmured, looking sad. "If not for bad luck you'd just have none at all."

Brian smiled crookedly. "I wouldn't say that. I met Tej back when we were kids, and then he came looking for me again right when I needed him most. I think that makes me pretty lucky."

Jimmy still looked kind of sad as he said quietly, "You can't think of any other good things?"

"No, I can," Brian disagreed. "He's just most important right now. Without Tej, none of the rest would matter. I wouldn't be here."

"That's not healthy, Brian," Jimmy said gently.

Brian smiled wryly. "I never claimed my mental health is all that good. I know I'm screwed up, but it's getting better."

"We'll get you there, baby," Tej aid quietly, giving Brian a reassuring smile.

"I know," Brian agreed, smiling back.

Tej's phone beeped then and he reached for where he had laid it on the table, tapping the dismiss on the alarm, then looked at Jimmy and Brian. "We should get going. It's a bit of a drive to the meet and we need to go back by the garage first. I forgot to grab the cash for Bri's buy-ins."

"How deep are pockets out here? Brian asked, curious.

Tej smiled. "Usually two large a run, sometimes as high as five for heavy hitters."

"I got it covered then," Brian said, grinning. "I got seven grand in the console, and it's not like I'm gonna lose it all. My baby can _fly_."

"Yeah, he's good," Jimmy agreed, grinning. "Not much in Miami that can really even compete with her. She's fast and the way he was talking about driving, nobody'll be able to out maneuver him."

Brian grinned. "I promise to drive it like I stole it."

Tej and Jimmy both laughed.

 

~*~*~

 

The race meet that night went well overall, though by the end of it Tej was starting to wonder if keeping Suki was worth putting up with her attitude.

The night started off with Brian in mile-long match races with three people that didn't believe his Mustang was anything more than a show car, including Jack. Brian told them he'd race them together or separate, he was cool with either way, and Tej stepped in to say they should do three separate races, each with a two grand buy-in. Tej took bets on all three races and Brian ended up winning them by narrow margins, which made Julio and two other guys who had beaten Jack before want in on the main race for the night, which Tej had scheduled from the start with Brian in the lineup.

Tej was busy officiating for other match races for a while then, so Brian took a seat on the hood of his Mustang back from the line out of the way, watching and talking to Jimmy quietly about the other racers and what they drove. Jimmy had at least looked under the hood of every car there and had an almost photographic memory, letting him give specifics on all the major players that Brian listened to intently. Everyone knew Brian was Tej's new driver, but mostly people were ignoring him and Jimmy in favor of watching the races. Most of what Jimmy was telling him was either too technical for others to understand or something people already knew.

Tej thought the night was going great and stole frequent glances towards where Brian was obviously relaxed and enjoying himself with Jimmy, right up until Suki walked up to Brian after the last short match race for the night.

"I want you to race _me_ ," Suki said loudly, glaring at Brian and drawing attention from the people nearby. "Just you and me on the long run."

Tej frowned and moved closer, not liking the idea of Suki racing with Brian at all. She had risked killing another driver twice he was sure of and Julio said that there had been at least one other time when Tej wasn't around that someone Suki didn't like got hurt racing her. Tej was sure she knew what she was doing, too. He had found vivid pink paint off her car in the same spot on the rear quarter of both cars she had crashed while he was running things, proof she had hit them on purpose to spin them out. One guy had ended up with a broken arm and a concussion because he rolled his car, but the other guy just got his pride hurt and some expensive car repairs. Spinning someone out at over a hundred miles an hour was never anything but deadly serious, though, and just because no one died _yet_ didn't mean no one would.

Brian stared at Suki, surprised and a little upset as he said, "Naw, Suki girl, I don't want to take your money."

"Bitch, please. You couldn't if you _tried_ ," Suki said scathingly. "You just don't want everyone to see me kick your ass, making you run a _real_ race instead of those sprints you like."

Tej knew Brian would back down if he didn't make it plain he supported him running, and he suddenly wanted to see Brian beat her so bad he could almost taste it. "Show her what you can do, Brian."

Brian met Tej's gaze a moment and then sighed and slid off the hood of his Mustang. "Alright, Suki. I don't want your money, though."

"I want yours," Suki said sharply. "Five large."

Brian looked at her a moment and then nodded. "Okay. You win, I'll give you five grand, but if _I_ win, I want some _respect_ , not money."

"You won't win, bitch," Suki scoffed. "You're all big talk."

Brian snorted, finally starting to look a little annoyed as he looked at Tej. "The course is already cleared, right?"

"Roads are closed and there's signs where to turn," Tej agreed, giving Suki a glare as he added, "And I want this race _clean_ , Suki. You pull any dirty tricks and I'll call the cops myself."

Suki glared. "I don't need dirty tricks to beat him, Tej!"

Tej snorted. "No, you need a _miracle_." He turned away, raising his voice as he called, "Alright people, clear the line! We got one last match race before the big event. Suki has challenged Bullitt to run the long course, one-on-one!"

People started clearing the line so that Brian and Suki could move their cars into position, many of them calling encouragement to Suki, especially her girls. Only a few called out to Brian, mostly people who didn't like Suki, but he barely noticed them. He was frowning a little and kept looking towards Suki, his blue eyes unhappy and sad, which bothered Tej as he watched Brian move the Mustang back onto the line.

Within just a few minutes Suki and Brian were in their cars side-by-side and Brian looked over at her as he called, "You know this is ridiculous, right?"

"You just know you'll lose!" Suki called back, giving him a superior look. "You're all hot air and flashy paint!"

Brian snorted, giving her a dirty look. "Denial ain't just a river in Egypt, girl."

"Fuck you, bitch!" Suki yelled quickly, angry and glaring.

"No thanks," Brian replied instantly, starting to look annoyed. "You're not my type!"

"Jimmy, take over for me," Tej called suddenly, holding out the starting flag to Jimmy and making Brian and Suki both look towards him.

Jimmy moved to the line to take the flag, frowning. "What're you thinking, boss?"

"I wanna see _all_ of this, and the only way I'm gonna do that is if I ride along," Tej replied, heading towards the Mustang. "You can handle the start."

Suki glared at Tej as she watched him get in the passenger side of the Mustang, and Tej looked at her a moment before he looked at Brian and murmured, "Get out of sight of the crowd and then show her what you and your baby can _really_ do."

Brian looked a little surprised, but he agreed, "If you want."

"I do." Tej looked at Suki again, adding more loudly, "And when she loses, she's gonna stop this bullshit or find another garage."

Suki stared, angry but obviously hurt too as she looked away at the road and revved her Honda's engine up loud, making her girls cheer where they watched from the other side of her car. It _did_ sound pretty good, compared to other imports. The problem was, she wasn't racing another import this time.

Brian just let the Mustang idle for a minute or two, rumbling quietly while he let Suki show off, then he finally put his foot on the gas and the Mustang's engine roared, drowning out the sound of her car completely while he looked at her. Suki glared at him and Brian smiled, letting off on the gas to call cheerfully, "Don't worry, sweetheart, your little pink Honda is still _cute_!"

The crowd hooted and cat-called at that and Suki let out an angry squeal, so pissed off she couldn't even find words.

Tej laughed as he looked at Brian and murmured, "She pissed you off."

"Yeah, she kinda did," Brian agreed, not looking at Tej. "You need to belt in. She's about to get her ass handed to her."

Tej snickered and put the seat belt on. "She deserves it."

"We ready?" Jimmy called, holding up the flag Tej used for starting races, and when Tej looked towards him he saw Jimmy was grinning.

Brian revved the Mustang's engine up to a roar again, nodding to Jimmy.

"Ready to kick his ass!" Suki yelled, revving her Honda while her girls and some of the crowd cheered.

Tej had to laugh again at how small the Honda sounded by the Mustang's big engine. "She's gonna hate us both after this."

"If she does, she never really loved you," Brian murmured, making Tej look at him quickly.

Jimmy waved the flag overhead and then dropped it and Brian let off the brakes, making the Mustang leap off the line fast enough the front wheels left the ground.

Tej's eyes widened a little as he grabbed the door and held on, feeling the g-force push him back against the seat. The Mustang's nose dropped again and he could feel her steadily accelerating as he looked towards the side for Suki, then checked the side mirror, surprised. Suki was already well behind them, looking pissed off as she tried to catch up, and Tej looked towards Brian as he asked, "Is this top speed?"

"Eleven second start, maybe twelve," Brian replied, checking the mirror and then Tej saw him let off on the gas. Brian looked at him then, adding, "Don't freak out no matter what I do, okay? I got this. I would _never_ risk you."

Tej laughed, a little surprised. "I trust you, baby."

Brian grinned. "Good."

Tej looked back towards the side mirror and realized Suki was right behind them now, then looked ahead and saw they were coming up on the first turn _way_ too fast for his peace of mind. Tej braced himself and then Brian was doing a powerslide through the corner, accelerating out of it an instant later.

Tej looked back again and saw Suki was falling behind again, then looked at Brian, watching him looking in the mirror at Suki with a measuring look in his eyes.

Brian glanced at him suddenly, smirking. "I used to do this to cops." He looked at the mirror again, then at the road ahead, asking, "We got what, another mile to the next turn?"

"About that now," Tej agreed after glancing around.

"Gotcha," Brian replied, then he was popping the brake and Tej let out a little surprised squeak as Brian spun the car abruptly, shifting into reverse. They were suddenly facing Suki, who looked totally shocked as Brian grinned brightly at her, sticking his hand out the window to flip her off. "All talk my _ass_." He accelerated away, still driving backwards, and Suki just stared, wide-eyed. "I can drive better _backwards_ than she can forward."

Tej laughed and then Brian was whipping the car around again, slinging him against the belts, and Tej realized Brian was taking the next turn backwards. Brian slid the car through the turn and then on around to face down the road again, shifting back into drive and then making the Mustang leap forward, and Tej realized he was hard. He looked at Brian and saw he was still grinning, blue eyes bright and sparkling, and then Brian looked at him.

"What?" Brian asked, grinning and not even looking at the road even though they were going well over a hundred miles an hour. "She asked for it."

Tej laughed. "I want to fuck you so hard right now, baby boy."

Brian laughed too, looking back at the road. "Not while I'm driving, I'd kill us for sure."

Tej laughed again and looked at the road, then glanced at the side mirror and saw Suki was about five car-lengths back and steadily falling further behind. "Later, your ass is mine."

"Now that's _my_ kinda prize," Brian agreed, and when Tej looked towards him he saw Brian was smirking and looking happy.

Brian didn't bother with anything fancy for the next turn, downshifting and taking the corner like normal people, and Tej looked back to see Suki still well back behind them. Tej looked at Brian again and said, "Not much farther, baby. One more corner, then the line."

"I know," Brian agreed. "Jimmy told me a little bit about how he laid out the course after he sent Rico and Mitch to put up the roadblocks." He glanced at the mirror, watching as Suki hit the Nos and rocketed towards them. "How bad do you want me to beat her?"

"If you show your hand too much, I won't be able to get you many races," Tej replied. "She's not a top driver, but there's only a dozen or so who can beat her every time."

"Got it," Brian agreed, letting Suki get right behind the Mustang before he floored the gas.

The Mustang leaped under them and Tej saw the corner coming up ahead and braced himself as he held on tight. They were sliding sideways through the corner an instant later and then heading towards the line a block away as Suki hit the Nos a second time to try and pass them.

Brian tapped the Nos, just a short burst, and then watched her in the mirror, staying just ahead of her up to the line. He took his foot off the gas then, downshifted, and hit the emergency brake, spinning into a sliding stop about thirty feet beyond the line while Suki flew past the crowd.

Brian looked at Tej then, ignoring the cheering people crowding into the road around them and grinning as he said, "How was that?"

"Sexiest fuckin' thing I ever saw in my life," Tej replied, grinning at Brian as he unbuckled his seatbelt. "I'm glad these damn coveralls are so loose, baby boy." He shoved his erection down against his thigh and then got out, smirking when he saw Suki had turned her car around another hundred feet down the road.

The crowd was cheering, most of them looking surprised, and Tej looked around as he called, "Come on, now! Give it up for Bullitt!" The crowd cheered again, except for Suki's girls and a few of her friends, who all looked surprised.

Brian got out of the Mustang and walked around the hood towards Tej, grinning at the people who were crowding close but not stopping to talk to anyone and neatly avoiding most who tried to touch him.

Suki pulled up next to Tej then, looking upset but grudgingly impressed as she said, "Maybe you're not all talk after all, Bullitt."

Brian laughed, stopping by Tej too. " _Maybe_?"

Suki looked sheepish. "Okay, yes, that was pretty amazing," she admitted. "The only place I ever saw people drive like that is on _television_." She let out a tiny little laugh. "Or video games."

Brian grinned. "Thank you, Suki."

Kali climbed into the passenger seat of the Honda, grinning. "Tell me you had the dash cam running, Suki."

"I did," Suki agreed, looking at Kali. "You'd never believe me until you _see_ it."

"Yeah, just don't be showing the whole world," Tej said firmly, making Suki look at him quickly. Her girls were crowding around the far side of the car and he didn't want her showing them all what Brian could do. If she did, he'd never get another race. The video would make it blindingly obvious Brian had just been playing with her and could have beaten her by a mile if he wanted to. "You owe him that for not making you pay up on that _stupid_ bet you made."

Suki blushed, nodding. "I'll only show Kali." She looked at Brian, adding, "And I'm sorry I was such a bitch, Bullitt, you just made me so _mad_ at dinner, I wanted to make you eat your words." She suddenly looked wry. "And you made me eat mine. I'll pay the bet, if you want."

"It's forgotten," Brian said easily. "And you just did. I told you, all I wanted is a little respect."

"You've got that," Suki agreed quietly, obviously a little surprised.

Brian smiled. "Then we're good."

Tej reached out to put his hand on Brian's shoulder as he looked at Suki. "Send that video to my laptop, Suki. I was in the car but I still wanna see it."

"I will, baby," Suki agreed, giving him a hopeful little smile. "Maybe we could watch it together later?"

"Nah, I got things to do tonight," Tej disagreed, smiling at her even though he didn't miss the look Kali shot at Suki or the way Suki flushed slightly as her smile faded away. There was no way he was inviting Suki back to the garage to spend some time with her, not that night at least. He'd end up giving her a piece of his mind and then it would be over. "Tomorrow? We could do lunch at that barbecue place I like." She didn't much like barbecue and he knew it, but after the way she acted all evening he figured she deserved a little payback.

"Okay," Suki agreed as she shot a glance at Brian and then looked back at Tej. "I'll pick you up around two?"

"Sounds good," Tej agreed. He looked away, raising his voice. "Alright folks, let's clear the line for the final race of the night! Cars to the line!" People started moving back out of the road and Tej gave Brian a little push, starting him moving back towards the front of the Mustang. He leaned close as they walked and murmured quietly, "Don't show off for them, baby."

"Not even a little," Brian agreed, smiling. "I better be one of the things you plan to do later."

"Top of my list, baby boy," Tej agreed, smirking as he let his hand slide down to rest on Brian's ass for an instant and then fall away. "Bottom of the list, too, and everything in between."

"I'm liking that list," Brian said with a wide grin, moving to get into the Mustang and move her back to the line.

Tej laughed and continued to the side of the road by the line, where Jimmy was waiting.

Jimmy waited until Tej got close, smirking as he murmured, "So, is the kid really that great of a driver or were you just _that_ happy to get out of the car?"

Tej laughed, glad it didn't show much as he felt his face heating up. He had hoped the coveralls would hide how hard he was when he got out. "He's _amazing_ , brother. I'm glad Suki had her dash cam going, or you'd _never_ believe me if I tried to tell you about it." He laughed again. "Hell, I was in the car and I'm not sure _I_ believe me."

Jimmy laughed. "Can't wait to see it, boss."

"Me either," Tej agreed, grinning as he watched Julio pull up next to the Mustang in his RX-7.

Julio grinned at Brian, calling, "You gonna get a _real_ race now, Bullitt. No more skirts!"

Brian laughed and called back, "Bring it!"

An Asian racer that Tej had seen race a dozen times but still knew only as Kim pulled up beyond Julio in his tricked-out black and gold Honda Civic, revving the engine a few times and then calling, "Come on, let's get this show on the road! I got a girl waiting!"

People along the sides of the road started laughing as Julio called back, "Hold your horses, Kim! Joaquim is still trying to find 'drive'!"

The crowd hooted and jeered as a black Firebird with a phoenix on the hood and flames trailing down the sides pulled up to the line, and Joaquim called, "Fuck you very much, Julio!"

"Naw, man, I got a girl!" Julio called back quickly. "Thanks anyway!"

Tej laughed and started forward as he called, "Alright, ante up, boys! Gonna cost you just two large 'cause I'm in a _good mood_!"

Brian laughed, reaching into the console for a roll of cash and waiting until Tej paused near the front of the Mustang, then tossing it to him. "You might wanna count it, I won that from Slapjack!"

People laughed as Jack called from the sidelines, "It's all there, damn! Count wrong _one time_ and even the _new guy_ is giving me shit!"

"That's cause you can't count, Jack!" Tej called back, laughing. He moved to the front of Julio's RX-7, catching the roll of cash Julio tossed to him, then continued to Kim's black Civic.

"Make sure you stay close with my money!" Kim called as he tossed Tej a folded wad of bills in a rubber band. "I'm out of here after I collect!"

Tej laughed. "You just try not to be last place again like last week!"

"It was that damn pothole, man!" Kim called back, laughing. "I nearly rolled the car!"

"Yeah, uh-huh," Tej called, smirking as he walked to Joaquim's Firebird. "Somehow nobody ever sees those potholes but you, Kim!"

The crowd laughed and hooted as Joaquim tossed Tej a bundle of cash, and then Tej continued to the side of the road.

"Alright!" Tej called, pulling the flag out of his back pocket. "Let's get it on, boys! Bullitt, you ready?"

"Always!" Brian called back, grinning wide as he revved the Mustang's engine.

Tej grinned at him, then looked at Julio. "Orange Julius, you ready?"

"Let's _go_!" Julio called back, revving his RX-7.

"Kim!" Tej called, and Kim lifted one hand out his window, thumb up as he revved his car. Tej looked at Joaquim. "And you, Phoenix?"

"Hell yeah!" Joaquim replied quickly, revving up the Firebird.

"Ready!" Tej yelled, lifting the flag. All four drivers revved their engines higher. "And….   _Go_!" Tej swung the flag down and the cars leapt forward, the Mustang and the Firebird going immediately to the lead with the RX-7 and the Civic right behind them, and it was only a few moments before they all rounded the first corner.

Tej crossed the street back to Jimmy, stopping beside him, and Jimmy leaned closer as he murmured with a grin, "Bri wasn't even pushing her, he kept all four on the ground."

"I know," Tej agreed, smirking as he looked at Jimmy. "It'll be a close one."

Jimmy laughed. "Nice."

Tej and Jimmy just stood quietly waiting after that, Tej opening the stacks of money to count them while Jimmy watched and people milled around talking. The money was all there and Tej looked around to check out the crowd, surprised to see Suki's girls across the road but no sign of her or Kali. He was wondering if Suki and Kali really were a thing too when there was a shrill whistle from up the road where Rico was watching the last turn.

"Clear the road," Tej called loudly, "here they come!"

People started running for the sides of the road just as the Firebird slid out of the side street into view with the Mustang so close on her heels that it looked like they were touching. The Firebird swung too wide coming out of the corner and the Mustang shot into the gap, the cars roaring up the road side-by-side until the Mustang edged ahead just before the line, taking the lead by only a few feet while the crowd went crazy. The Civic was next over the line with Julio's RX-7 bringing up the rear, one side of his car scraped and dented.

Jimmy leaned close to Tej's ear and said, "He's _good_! I almost believe he was working for that."

Tej laughed and patted Jimmy's shoulder, leaning to murmur into his ear, "That's the idea." He winked at Jimmy and then moved towards the line where Brian was just pulling up with the Mustang, grinning and pleased. The crowd quieted as Brian climbed out of the Mustang, and Tej offered him the stack of cash as he said loudly, "To the victor go the spoils!"

Brian laughed and took the stack of cash as he said easily, "Thanks, man." He smirked. "I'm gonna enjoy my prize."

Tej grinned. "No doubt!" He looked around, calling, "And that concludes the racing for tonight, folks! Feel free to follow Jimmy and the trucks back to the garage to hang, it'll be opening up when he gets there until he decides to chase y'all out!"

People cheered and started towards their cars, and Brian laughed as he stepped closer to Tej. "People are going back with us?"

"With _Jimmy_ ," Tej corrected, smirking. "I think you can get us home ahead of the pack. I got a set of keys. We lock up the Mustang in her bay and nobody'll know we're around."

Brian grinned. "Get in the car." He turned to get in.

Tej laughed and moved quickly to the passenger side, getting in as the Mustang rumbled to life again. Brian started forward slowly until they got past the last of the people milling in the street and then he hit the gas while Tej grinned wide, glad they were on the same page.

 

~*~*~

 

Life settled back into a routine over the next few days, and then suddenly over a week had passed without Tej really noticing it.

Tej had made sure he was close to Brian most of the time, but it was easy to do. Brian thrived on working in the garage, even relaxed enough he started to enjoy when people showed up to hang out, so Tej could stay close to him without changing his life at all. The only person Brian really still avoided was Suki, and that was because he was trying to stay out of her way so maybe she wouldn't hate him so much. It worked to some extent, though the time Suki walked into the garage without them noticing it while Tej and Brian were flirting had ended with Tej taking _Brian_ out to dinner because Suki pissed him off by calling Brian bitch again.

Several girls tried flirting with Brian after he started winning races, particularly Rachel, but Brian wasn't even a little bit interested. Mostly he pretended to not even realize he was being hit on and after a few tries they gave up, but Rachel was more determined and pushed him hard enough to annoy Tej one evening. Rachel sat in Brian's lap without even saying hello to him first and tried giving him a lap dance, smirking over her shoulder at him while Tej fought down the impulse to tell her off. Brian had just laughed after a moment and picked her up, then stood and put her in his chair and walked away to go get a bottle of the hard lemonade Tej drank sometimes while he was working. When Brian came back he put the table between him and Rachel, standing between Tej and Kali and acting like nothing had happened.

Rachel pouted for half an hour, but finally she took the hint and stopped bothering him. Suki's girls started spreading the word that Brian was gay right after that, though Tej was pretty sure Kali was behind it. Kali had talked with Brian, Jimmy, and Tej several times when Suki wasn't around, hanging out with them, and she seemed to really like Brian. She was nicer to him than any of Suki's other girls, and Tej figured she told the other girls he was gay so they'd leave Brian alone. Kali had taken Brian's side a few times when Suki's girls were talking crap about him, and Tej had decided she was on his short list of people who got free repairs when they needed them, though he hadn't told her that.

That's why it meant even more to Tej when he heard Kali defend Brian one night when Suki came in and made a comment that made Brian's smile disappear as he quietly left the table. Tej didn't hear what was said, he was getting a drink and walked up just as Brian left, but whatever it was had bothered Brian and annoyed Kali, who told Suki to give Brian a chance. Suki was snippy with Kali over it, and then a few days later when Suki came in and said something that made Brian leave, Kali had given her a dirty look and went with him. Kali and Brian were soon laughing over something, and then they both looked at Suki, which made Suki glare at them.

Suki made a few pointed comments about Brian a few days later after a race and Kali called Suki out right in front of all their friends and told her to stop being such a jealous little bitch. _Everyone_ was surprised when Brian asked Kali to ease up on Suki, but it had just made Kali even more determinedly on Brian's side. She began showing up whenever she wasn't in classes at the local college, reprogramming the Skyline for Brian and Jimmy in her free time. She had even asked Brian to make her a list of musicians he liked so she could download them on her home system for him and put them in the computer.

Brian had been in Miami a little over two weeks when Tej found a large envelope from his uncle in the mailbox one morning, and he was grinning as he opened it. There were a few papers inside for his records, copies of long-term lease agreements mostly, but there was also a second plain white envelope. Tej dropped the mail and the paperwork in the office on his desk and then glanced in the plain envelope and grinned. He took it and headed for the garage, where Brian was eating a bowl of cereal while Jimmy and Julio ate donuts.

Brian had said something about missing a bowl of Cocoa Pebbles the day before when they were having breakfast burritos, and when Jimmy went out to grab breakfast that morning he came back with donuts along with a box of Cocoa Pebbles, a gallon of milk, and a stack of disposable bowls. Brian was obviously enjoying his cereal, grinning and munching happily while Jimmy and Julio talked about what still needed done to Julio's car, and Tej dropped the envelope by Brian's bowl on the way to the coffee machine.

"What's this?" Brian asked, surprised.

Tej glanced back, smirking, then filled his mug with coffee before he turned with it to look at Brian. "Open it and find out."

Brian laughed slightly and opened the envelope, pulling out the folded paper inside and staring at it in shock for a moment before he looked at Tej. "Is this really what it looks like?"

"Pretty sure it is," Tej agreed, still smirking as he sipped at his coffee.

Brian stared at the deed for a moment longer and then put it on the table as he jumped up, walking quickly to Tej and grabbing Tej's face between his hands to kiss him thoroughly. Tej chuckled into the kiss, blindly setting his coffee on the counter behind him and then sliding his hands into Brian's back pockets, squeezing as he sucked on Brian's tongue gently, thinking that the Cocoa Pebbles really were pretty good. Brian purred into the kiss and tilted his head for a better angle, nudging a little closer to push Tej back against the counter behind him, and Tej forgot all about the cereal.

"Aw come on, guys," Julio said then, "I don't need to see that!"

Brian pulled away from Tej, blushing but giving him a kind of awed smile as he murmured, "You really bought it?"

"We can always use another rental in L.A. anyway," Tej replied quietly, smiling. "It'll be there if you ever figure out how to get it back to him."

Brian let out a soft little laugh and kissed him again, then murmured, "I don't know what I ever did to deserve you."

"Just breathe, baby boy. That's enough," Tej replied, smiling as he lifted one hand to tug Brian down into another kiss.

They had been kissing for a minute or so when Julio suddenly blurted, "Holy shit, Tej! You bought him a _house_?"

Tej and Brian pulled apart and Tej looked past Brian's shoulder to see Julio was holding the deed, wide-eyed. "Keep that to yourself, Julio," Tej said firmly, patting Brian on the ass gently and then grabbing his coffee and moving towards the table. "You start running your mouth and your free labor's gonna evaporate."

"Fast," Jimmy added dryly. "I'll forget how to keep your car one of the fastest ones in town, too."

"I'm not gonna tell anyone," Julio protested quickly, "but seriously, _mi hermano_ , a _house_?"

"It's a long story," Tej said easily, sitting in his usual chair. "And most of it's none of your business." He leaned to take the deed out of Julio's hand, reaching for the envelope to tuck it back inside.

"I screwed up, back in Cali," Brian said, moving to sit back down with his bowl between Tej and Jimmy. "A really close friend lost his house because of me, and Tej bought it back. That's all."

"That's _all_?" Julio repeated, wide-eyed. "Do you know what houses _cost_?"

"I have a decent idea, since my dad's had me checking out real estate here for him," Brian agreed. "I already owe Tej my _life_ , though, and I know him well enough to know he'd have a fit if I tried to pay him back for the house."

"You already did, baby," Tej said easily, setting the deed back down by Brian's bowl. Brian didn't need to know that the two bedroom single-story houses Rick had Brian looking at there in Miami were a lot cheaper than the house in Echo Park had been. Tej would have paid twice as much if he had to. "You just didn't know it."

Brian smiled wryly at Tej. "I'm sure I'm gonna regret this, but I gotta ask. How did I do that?" Tej smirked, wicked and dirty, and Brian laughed, blushing very red. "That's where I thought you were going, don't say it."

"Yeah, please don't, no details," Julio said quickly, looking at Tej like he was nuts. "Just…  Is he really _that_ awesome in bed, Tej? I mean, seriously?"

Brian hid his face in his hand as Tej smirked at Julio. "He could _turn you_ if he wanted to, Julio, and you're one of the straightest guys I know. There ain't _nothin'_ that compares to Brian when he's all willin' and eager, beggin' for it."

"Jesus, Tej!" Brian exclaimed, beet red as he reached out to swat Tej's shoulder lightly. "He does _not_ need to know about that!"

Tej smirked at Brian, teasing, "You ashamed of wanting me, baby boy?"

"Not even a little, but that doesn't mean I want you telling _Julio_ I _beg_ for it," Brian replied quickly, beet red and embarrassed.

"I didn't wanna hear it either," Julio said then, making them both look at him. He was making a face as he dropped what was left of a donut on the napkin in front of him. "Now I got that mental image in my _head_ , Tej. Thanks a lot." He gave Tej a dirty look, adding, "Someone change the subject."

"We got the new decal in for your car," Jimmy said, grinning wide and amused. "Just gotta clean up the last few dents and repaint, then we can put it on before we do the clear coat."

"Why not get Suki to do the decal?" Julio asked, surprised. "She's better at it."

"You want her doing it, _you_ ask her," Jimmy replied with a little laugh. "I'm on her shit list."

"What'd _you_ do?" Julio asked, amused.

"I called her a spoiled brat," Jimmy replied, grinning as he reached for another donut. "She squealed like a wet cat. It was funny as Hell."

Julio laughed. "Oh yeah, she won't be working for _you_ anytime soon."

"Nope," Jimmy agreed, amused. "Not a big loss for me. I don't want to put up with her playing diva today anyway."

"She's a total diva," Julio agreed, amused. "She's sexy, sure, but hot only goes so far. I don't know how Tej puts up with her being such a bitch."

"Hey!" Brian said, making Julio look at him in surprise. Brian was frowning as he said, "Don't talk like that about Suki."

Julio stared at Brian. "She talks shit about you _constantly_ , Brian. Why would you _defend_ her?"

"She's allowed," Brian said, still frowning slightly. "I get why she's mad at me. I deserve it."

"Baby, do not start that bullshit again," Tej said quickly. "You haven't done anything wrong."

"Not _wrong_ , maybe, but I get why she hates me," Brian said, meeting Tej's gaze. "You should too, you don't share either."

"It's not sharing if she never had me to start with, baby," Tej pointed out. "She wouldn't even get _coffee_ with me until after I got back with you, and besides, she's got at _least_ two girlfriends on the side herself. If anyone should be pissed about it all, it's _you_."

Brian blinked, surprised. "Why would I be mad?"

"Maybe because you've been with Tej for _years_ and Suki's trying to take him from you," Jimmy said dryly, amused.

"But it's not like that," Brian said quickly, still surprised. "Tej falling for her doesn't mean he loves me _less_. If it did he would have never bothered to invite me out here. He was already crazy about her then, he told me so."

"What would you be doing if he didn't?" Julio asked, curious.

"I'd probably be dead," Brian admitted. "He didn't know it when he called, but I was... in a really bad way. I was alone and messed up and going into a wall at one-sixty was looking like a viable option."

Julio frowned at that, looking concerned.

"And you're still a little shaky," Tej said quietly, making Brian look at him again. He tried hard not to think about Brian hurting so badly he just wanted to die, reminding himself firmly that Brian didn't feel that way anymore. "You think I don't see it, but I got you figured out now, baby boy. She's not making me step back until _I_ think you're good, and right now you still need me."

Brian looked at Tej for a long moment and then asked very softly, "What if I don't get any better, Tej?"

"I'll be there for you when you need me until the day I die, baby," Tej said gently. "I already told her that."

"I love you too," Brian said softly. "You just proved my point, though. I get why she hates me. She's _in love_ _with you_."

"She says she is," Tej agreed, "but if she _really_ loved me, she'd stop hurting you. Seeing her treat you like shit hurts _me_ more than it hurts you. You accept it because your idea of what's fair is all screwed up, but for me, she's hurting someone I love who she _knows_ is already on shaky ground to start with. Her being such a bitch to you isn't helping you at all."

Brian just looked at Tej for a few moments and then said softly, "I'm sorry."

Tej sighed. "Brian, _none of it_ is your fault." He leaned towards Brian, reaching for the back of his neck to pull Brian over and rest their foreheads together as he murmured softly, "It'll all work out like it's supposed to, baby boy. I got faith. If I'm supposed to end up with her, I will, and if not, then at least you won't make me sleep lonely."

Brian let out a tiny little huff of a laugh. "You and your faith."

"Got me this far, baby boy," Tej murmured with a smile, then kissed him softly before he let Brian go and sat back in his chair, looking at Jimmy as he changed the subject. He trusted Julio not to run his mouth, but Brian needed distracted, his eyes were starting to dim again. "While you and Julio work on his car, I'm gonna take Bri to get that custom body kit for the Skyline. Fran called this morning and said she got the last piece finished." He paused, then corrected, "Well, he's gonna take me, I'm making him drive 'cause I still wanna be able to _walk_ when we get back, but yeah."

"Works for me, boss," Jimmy agreed easily, smiling. "We don't have much for today anyway. If you two stick around working, you'll be done by three, easy."

Tej laughed. "Yeah, no. Not happening." He looked at Brian, smiling. "We'll have to take the truck. It won't all fit in the Mustang."

"That's fine," Brian agreed.

"He didn't even ask if you wanted to go, Brian," Julio said with a little surprise, "and you're just gonna go with it, just like that?"

"There's nothing Tej can ask me for I don't wanna do for him," Brian replied easily. He stood with his bowl, adding, "Lemme clear this away and we can go."

"Sure, baby, no hurry," Tej replied easily. "We got all day and Bonita Springs isn't all that far." He had a thought then and added, "Go grab your phone before we go, though. I plugged it in by the bed last night. Your dad was supposed to call when he gets on the road."

"Yeah, probably a good idea," Brian agreed as he dropped the remains of his breakfast into the trash barrel by the back door. "Thanks." He stepped outside, heading for the boat.

Tej looked at Julio then, not very surprised to see Julio watching him thoughtfully. "Spit it out, bro."

"Which one of them are you really in love with, _mi hermano_?" Julio asked softly. "Every time I think I got it figured out, you do something that makes me change my mind."

Tej smiled crookedly as he murmured, "There's a reason nobody can figure that out." He got up, carrying his coffee mug towards the sink as he added in a more normal tone, "We'll be gone most of the day, Jimmy. Decide what you want for dinner tonight, my treat."

"Italian," Jimmy replied instantly. "I'm craving some pasta in a major way."

"Pick somewhere and we'll go," Tej agreed, putting his mug in the sink and then walking back towards the table. "Brian loves Italian, he won't mind."

Julio glanced towards the back door, then looked at Tej and asked very softly, "If you love them both, how are you gonna choose?"

"I'm not," Tej replied quietly. "I'll end up with who I'm supposed to, and until then, I'm going to keep taking care of Bri. He needs me right now."

Brian walked back into the garage and Tej smiled, walking towards the front as he said easily, "I guess it was there, huh?"

"Yeah, right where you said," Brian agreed, walking quickly to catch up with Tej and then slowing to walk next to him. "You keep track of my phone better than I ever did. That's why it was usually in the car. At least then I wouldn't lose it."

Tej laughed. "If you lose it I'll just get you another one, baby."

"If I lose it, people can just call _you_ ," Brian corrected with a laugh of his own as they walked out front. "You'll know where I am."

"Definitely," Tej agreed, digging into his pocket for his keys and thumbing the button to unlock the truck, then reaching out to offer the keys to Brian with a smile. "You're driving."

"I remember," Brian agreed, accepting the keys and moving towards the driver's side of Tej's pickup.

Tej walked to the passenger side to get in, looking forward to spending the day alone with Brian. He could have called Rabbit in to have him run across to the Gulf coast for the custom body panels, but Tej and Brian had both been working every day for a couple weeks and he figured they had earned a day off together.

Tej settled comfortably into the passenger seat, stretching his bad leg out and glad of the extra leg room in the truck, then looked at Brian. He was just watching with a soft little smile, and Tej smiled back as he murmured, "Might help if you start the truck."

"Might," Brian agreed, his smile widening slightly as he finally put the key in the ignition and started up the truck. "I have no idea where Bonita Springs is, though."

"Just head west, baby," Tej replied easily, smiling. "When we hit the Gulf, it'll be either north or south, depending where you find the coast highway."

Brian laughed and started the truck moving towards the street. "That's easy enough. Is there a particular road you'd take if you were driving?"

"I don't drive it, but the best way is 41 all the way," Tej replied, amused. "It's easy to find and the least traffic once we're out of town."

"Sounds good," Brian agreed, smiling as he stopped at the edge of the lot, looking at Tej. "Which way?"

"South," Tej said, "all the north-south roads cross 41."

"Awesome," Brian said, turning to the right and and heading out. "It's a couple of hours over to the Gulf, isn't it?"

"Yeah, about that," Tej agreed, relaxing in his seat, looking over at Brian with a soft smile.

Brian's smile widened a little and he looked at Tej again. "Are you gonna watch me drive all the way?"

"I might," Tej agreed, smiling wider. "It's a beautiful view."

Brian blushed slightly, his smile softening as he reached towards Tej with his free hand and murmured, "I love you too."

Tej took Brian's hand, tangling their fingers together as he said cheerfully, "Of course you do, baby. I'm awesome."

Brian just laughed.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

~*~*~

 

Brian was holding up the engine of a Toyota Soarer that was in for a rebuild when Rick pulled in well after dark a few days later. The garage was empty except for Tej, Brian, and Jimmy, who had already sent the usual loitering folks home because they were expecting to lock up shop for a while after Rick got there. They hadn't eaten since breakfast and were planning to stop for dinner after Rick arrived.

Tej glanced towards the sound of the car, amused to see that Rick was _still_ driving the green Jeep he bought new about ten years ago, then put his attention back on guiding the engine back over the Soarer and then down onto the mounts.

The muscles Brian had built up over the last year were really useful for things like moving engines, and he made it look easy despite how the muscles in his upper arms flexed, hinting at the heavy weight he held. Brian didn't need Tej to tell him what to do or when to lower the engine, the two of them working seamlessly together like they had since the first time Brian helped him rebuild an engine, though back then it took them both to lift and move it.

Rick was standing nearby by the time the engine was resting on the mounts again, and he waited for Tej to unhook it and for Brian to swing the chains out of the way before he said, "Hey kid."

Brian grinned, moving to hug Rick tight. "Welcome to Miami, Dad."

Rick returned the hug, looking pleased. "Thanks, son." He surprised Tej then by moving to pull him into a hug too, but Tej didn't argue, hugging back as Rick murmured into his ear, "Thank you."

Tej gave Rick a squeeze and then stepped back, pretending not to understand as he said easily, "Anytime, poppa bear. No reason to waste money on a hotel room when we got room here." He had tried offering Rick the house he didn't ever use, but Rick had refused in favor of staying in the smaller room upstairs there in the garage. He was pretty sure Rick just wanted to keep an eye on Brian for a while, see if he was _really_ doing so much better like Tej said he was, but Tej couldn't blame him. The only time Tej let Brian out of his sight for long was when he went out with Suki, and that was usually for only an hour or two at a time.

Jimmy walked over then, smiling and cheerful as he said easily, "You gotta be Bri's dad." He offered Rick his hand, adding, "Jimmy Izzard. I work with Bri and Tej."

Rick shook Jimmy's hand, smiling at him. "Yeah, Brian has mentioned you, he says you're family."

Jimmy smiled at Brian, then looked back at Rick. "Yeah, Bri and Tej are like brothers to me." He grinned. "Much younger brothers, though. I'm on the back side of forty."

Rick laughed, surprised. "You don't look it."

"Clean living," Jimmy said instantly, smiling. Tej knew Jimmy actually hated how young he looked, but Jimmy had grown used to it and used it to his advantage pretty well, though he still got annoyed when he wanted to buy a beer. He _always_ got carded, and half the time people thought his ID was faked.

Tej laughed as Brian teased, "Says the guy who lives on coffee, donuts, and Corona."

"Three basic food groups, baby brother," Jimmy replied easily, smirking. "And all of them are made from plants, so they're healthy."

Rick laughed, shaking his head as Brian grinned at Jimmy. "What about the five meat, triple cheese pizzas, then? The girl who runs the phones at Gallo's even calls it the heart attack special when I call in your order."

"Gotta balance out all those veggies," Jimmy said with a little smirk at Brian, then he looked at Rick and Tej. "Speaking of food, though, are we heading out now, or should I start tearing apart Kim's Civic?"

Tej looked at Jimmy, surprised. None of them had expected it when Kim pulled up about an hour earlier with a buddy following him, asking Jimmy to do a routine maintenance run on his car, but Jimmy had agreed. They had very little left that night then and even routine maintenance would be better than nothing at all to do. "I thought it was just in for lube and filters before the races tomorrow."

"Yeah, that's what Kim said, but then I drained the oil pan and found metal shavings in it," Jimmy agreed dryly. "Tracing down where they came from oughta keep me busy a while."

"That's not good," Brian said. "Prob'ly gonna have to open up the engine."

"Yeah, that's what I figure, too," Jimmy agreed, looking at Brian with a grin. "Gonna borrow you to play crane for me."

Brian laughed. "Anytime."

Jimmy looked back at Rick and Tej. "Which brings us back to my question. When are we gonna go eat?"

Tej looked at Rick, who smiled and admitted, "I haven't stopped to eat since about noon."

"We had breakfast at ten," Brian said with a laugh. "I vote dinner, then we finish up the Soarer and start on the Civic."

"Sounds good," Tej agreed, smiling. "We don't have much left on the Soarer, just reconnecting everything. I can do that while you and Jimmy tear apart the Civic to figure out what Kim did to it."

"I didn't hear any problems when it came in, I bet it's nothing major," Brian said easily. "Finding it will be the fun part."

"Yeah, something's rubbing somewhere," Jimmy agreed, "but she _sounded_ really good. I'm hoping it's just a bad ring or something."

"You don't think he would reuse old oil, would he?" Rick asked, making them all look at him. "That's what Jenkins did that seized up that Eclipse Brian used to drive."

"No, Dad, Jenkins just never messed with the oil _at all_ ," Brian corrected with a slight little laugh, even though Tej noticed his eyes dimmed as he thought about the Eclipse. Brian was doing good most of the time, but if anything made him think about Dom it was always sure to drop his spirits. Tej had considered trying to track Dom down for Brian, but he was worried that it might lead the Feds to him so he had left it alone. "He told me he hadn't even checked it in months when it locked up. It was _your Jeep_ that someone at that Jiffy Lube place put old oil in that time I had to flush it out." He looked at Jimmy, adding, "That could be it, though. If someone used old oil, the metal might not even be from the Civic."

"Kim said something about changing garages because Lopez across town was cheating people," Jimmy admitted, looking thoughtful. "Could be he caught the guy reusing oil. I'll call Kim when we get ready to start on it, see if he wants us to tear it down or just flush it and put on new filters and a new oil pan so we can be sure if it does it again."

"Alright, we got a plan on that," Tej said, smiling. "Now where are we gonna get dinner?"

"You know me, as long as it's not raw fish, I'm good," Brian said, easily, smiling.

"Yeah, no sushi," Jimmy agreed with a laugh. "What are you in the mood for, Rick?"

"I'm not picky," Rick replied, amused. "Mostly I go for steaks or Mexican when I go out."

"Steak sounds good," Jimmy agreed quickly, grinning as he looked at Tej. "With a bloomin' onion."

Tej laughed. "You and Outback Steakhouse."

"Sounds pretty good," Rick said with a little bit of a laugh. "Food's always good there."

"You're outvoted, babe," Brian said then, grinning at Tej. "Those onions are _awesome._ "

Tej laughed. "Alright, let's go down under."

"We taking something you got here, or going in my Jeep?" Rick asked, amused. "Or both?"

Tej looked at Brian and Jimmy, and Jimmy grinned as he turned away to head for the private bay at the back. "I call shotgun in the Jeep."

Tej laughed, looking at Brian. "You driving, or are we riding in the back?"

"No reason to waste gas," Brian said easily, smiling. "Dad drives like a grandma, but we're not in a hurry."

Rick laughed, turning away to head for his Jeep as he said dryly, "Gee, thanks."

Tej laughed and started after him, and a few minutes later the garage was locked up and they were all in the Jeep as Rick pulled up to the edge of the mostly deserted street. "Which way?" Rick asked, glancing at Jimmy.

"Right, nine blocks, then left," Jimmy said easily. "It's a straight shot a couple miles after that, you'll see the sign."

Rick turned to the right. "I'm surprised it's so quiet around here tonight, I thought street racers just got _started_ around nine."

Tej laughed even though he couldn't find a comfortable angle for his bad leg. The back seat of the Jeep had next to no floor space, which made him bend the knee far enough it was already hurting. By the time they got to the restaurant, he was going to be limping in a major way, he was sure. "I put the word out that we were shutting down early tonight. Tomorrow'll be different, we got a meet planned across town. We'll have people hanging around right up until we shut down to head over, and then they'll be back after until three or so."

"How do you get away with that, anyway?" Rick asked, glancing at Tej in the rear view mirror. "The cops just let you run?"

"I'm a big contributor," Tej said dryly. "They hit me up for the widows and orphans fund or the police ball or whatever other 'charity' they're collecting for every month, and as long as we keep the meets late at night in a deserted part of town and make sure we all play safe and run on closed roads, it's all good. We hardly ever do any damage and we don't cause trouble, so they mostly don't bother us."

Rick let out a little huff of a laugh. "Nothing like that in California. There's half a dozen cars on patrol every night _just_ to look for street racers."

"We haven't even had a cop show up in weeks," Tej said, amused. "And last time was because two patrol cars were crossing the course to get to a robbery, not after us. The guy on the first roadblock the cops hit called ahead as soon as he let them through, and the other one was already down when they got to it."

Rick laughed. "Well, at least Brian won't end up back in jail." He realized what he said almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth, glancing at Brian in the mirror worriedly.

"Not happening," Brian said quietly. "If there was trouble and I got cornered, Tej would make sure I didn't stay in more than overnight."

Tej reached over to put his hand on the back of Brian's neck, squeezing gently as he murmured, "Damn sure would." Brian smiled slightly at Tej, but it didn't quite reach his eyes and Tej shifted to turn more towards him, then flinched at a stab of pain in his knee.

Brian frowned, the prospect of jail instantly forgotten as he said, "Your knee is killing you, isn't it?"

"Kind of," Tej admitted. "It sure ain't happy with me."

"I should have let you ride up front," Jimmy said, frowning as he twisted to look back at Tej and finally looked down behind the front seats. "You're bending it too far."

Brian shifted in the seat, looking at Tej as he said firmly, "Get it up here, right now." He patted his knee.

Tej didn't argue, turning in the seat and wincing as he tried to straighten his leg and it didn't want to cooperate, then Brian was leaning over to lift it for him, causing another painful twinge even though Brian was being careful. Once his leg was settled in Brian's lap the pain started to recede though, and Tej relaxed a little as he murmured, "Thanks, baby."

"Next time say something when it _starts_ hurting," Brian said pointedly, "don't just wait for me to notice." He looked into Tej's eyes a moment and then added, "When we get home, you're taking something for it."

"I have Aleve in the glove box," Rick said, glancing at them in the mirror.

"Might as well give him Skittles," Brian said, not looking at Rick. "He's got hydrocodone at home."

"It's that bad still?" Rick asked, frowning slightly.

"When he's not careful, yeah," Jimmy agreed quietly. "The only thing holding that knee together is stubbornness. The doc said it needs replaced, but the bone's too messed up to hold an artificial knee."

"Damn," Rick murmured. "Must be hell on you, Tej."

"Nah man, mostly I'm good," Tej said easily. "You can get used to anything."

Brian let out a strangled laugh that sounded almost pained, looking away out the window. "So true."

Tej reached for Brian's hand, and Brian looked back at him, tangling their fingers together as Tej said firmly, "You're not there anymore and _never_ going back, not even if I have to call in some favors and bring in the troops."

Brian let out another little laugh, but it sounded more sincerely amused. "You would, wouldn't you?"

"I know people who know people, baby," Tej said firmly, smiling. "If I gotta, I can do all kinds of things. You don't have to worry anymore, just let me take care of you."

"Sounds good," Brian agreed softly, smiling as he leaned towards Tej.

Tej leaned to meet him even though he saw Rick watching them in the mirror, kissing Brian slow and gentle before he pulled away just enough to make Brian open his eyes to look at him. He smiled at Brian and murmured, "You know I'm not gonna let anyone hurt my baby boy."

Brian smiled back, visibly relaxing as he replied softly, "Yeah, I do."  He kissed Tej again and Tej gladly returned it, smiling against Brian's lips at the soft pleased sound Brian made. Tej felt the Jeep make a turn, but he was in no hurry to end the kiss, lingering and just making sure Brian felt loved and safe. Brian seemed to like the idea, prolonging the kiss as he held tight to Tej's hand, and Tej tried to put everything he felt for Brian into the kiss, keeping it gentle and loving.

Brian finally ended the kiss just after they made the turn into the Outback Steakhouse parking lot, staring into Tej's eyes, and then Rick said quietly, "I'm glad you two are finally back together."

"For now," Brian agreed, smiling slightly at Tej.

Rick pulled into a parking spot and then turned to look at Brian, surprised. "What do you mean, for now?"

"Eventually he's gonna end up with his girl," Brian replied, not looking at Rick. "I'm already a lot better than I was, and when I'm good on my own again I'm gonna get my own place. I won't let him lose her for me."

"If Suki walks because I love you, I don't need her in my life anyway," Tej said firmly. "I love her, but I will _never_ stop taking care of you when you need me, not even for her." He paused slightly, adding, "And if anyone moves out of our boat, it'll be me. You love it there and you sleep better than you have in years."

"I do," Brian admitted, "better than since you left, but I don't think that's the boat. I just don't sleep well alone, I haven't since juvie."

"Then Suki can just wait on me until you find someone else," Tej said quietly. "I won't leave you to the nightmares again, baby. Not happening on my watch, they rip you apart."

Brian looked at Tej a moment, bemused, then murmured, "And you still can't understand why she hates me."

Tej snorted. "We're not gonna debate that again. Until Rachel stops sleeping at Suki's place more than her own, Suki hasn't got a right to complain about where I sleep."

"Worry about who's sleeping where later," Jimmy said firmly, amused. "I'm starving."

Brian smiled. "So am I."

"Then let's go eat," Tej agreed, amused.

Brian opened his door, looking at Tej as he said, "Slide out my side so I can help with that leg, babe."

"Alright, I won't argue," Teg agreed, amused. "This time."

Brian grinned. "It's a day for the record books then." He carefully slid out from under Tej's bad leg, then helped support it as Tej slid out of the car towards him, and when Tej finally stood he slid an arm around him to make Tej lean against his side.

Tej carefully flexed his knee a couple times, then tested his weight on it and smiled at Brian. "You can let go, baby. It's okay."

"You're sure?" Brian asked softly.

"Yep," Tej agreed, pulling away. "Gonna feel better after I get that pill, but I can deal and it's holding me fine."

"Alright," Brian agreed, letting Tej go and watching him limp towards the front of the Jeep. He closed the door of the Jeep and then followed, and soon the four of them were heading inside together.

Tej pretended not to notice how close Brian stayed to him, or the concern in Brian's expressive blue eyes despite his slight smile. He tried not to complain about Brian looking out for him, mostly because Brian didn't comment on Tej doing the same for him.

 

~*~*~

 

Rick was in and out of the garage a lot over the next week, staying in the smaller room upstairs across from the bunk room while he got with three different realtors, checking out houses that were available. He had put his house in Reseda up for rent the day he gave his two-week notice after Brian said he was staying in Miami, and Tej had offered to have his uncle handle it for Rick. Someone made an offer on the house to buy it a few days later, and after thinking about it Rick had agreed.

By the time Rick got to Miami, everything was done on the house in Reseda except the final closing, which Tej's uncle was handling for him, and Rick had everything he owned packed into a moving truck that arrived the next day. Tej had offered Rick the two rental houses he had empty, Tej's own house he never used, or even to let him park another houseboat behind the garage, but Rick had declined and just put his stuff in storage. He wanted his own place in a quiet part of town and seemed determined not to let Tej help so Tej stopped offering.

Not having his own place yet meant Rick was around a lot, though, and he spent a lot of time watching Brian work and hanging around. Rick got along easily with most of the people that hung out in the garage and was always interested when they talked about racing, though few really tried to get to know him. Kali was one who liked him and spent some time talking to him, mostly, Tej was sure, because she liked Brian so much. Kali seemed to enjoy asking Rick about what it was like to be a cop and then giggling over funny stories Rick told her, though, and she kept Rick occupied so Tej encouraged her.

Jimmy and Rick got along well and seemed to be becoming friends, but Tej was surprised to realize after a few days that Rick wasn't quite as happy with him. He was just starting to wonder what he had done when Suki breezed in one day and started asking him to do her a favor, kissing him only after Brian said something about how at least _he_ would kiss Tej hello first. After she pulled away to give Brian a 'so there' sort of look and then start talking again about wanting to race that night, Tej realized Rick was frowning at them.

Tej was headed out towards the boat very late that night after the races were over when he heard Rick and Brian talking outside and stopped to listen, frowning at the insistent tone of Rick's voice as Rick said, "Brian, you're counting on him way too much. You should move in with me when I get my house. I put in an offer on a nice place in Little Haiti today, I should know something in a few days."

"Dad, I'm fine," Brian said patiently, sounding tired. "I keep telling you, we're good. Quit worrying over me."

"You've got him running every minute of your life, kid," Rick said, sounding worried. "You can't count on him like that if he's planning to drop you for that girl."

"Tej is never gonna _drop me_ ," Brian said, sounding surprised and a little annoyed. "He's the best friend I ever had, Dad. That's not gonna change, not ever."

"You don't _act_ like friends," Rick said pointedly. "You act like you're neck deep in love with him."

"How long was I a wreck after he left me behind, Dad?" Brian asked quietly enough Tej barely heard him.

"About six months," Rick admitted, sounding a little reluctant.

"And how long have I been fucked up over Dom?" Brian asked, sounding a little pained.

"Over a year," Rick said softly, sad. "I don't see how you can _still_ love him so much. He hasn't even tried to call to see if you're okay."

"I don't _want_ him to call," Brian said quickly. "Bilkins is probably _still_ watching my phone, and if Dom got caught now it'd make all the hell I went through to keep him free _for nothing_. The only way I wanna see or hear from him is if he can do it without risking his neck, and that's likely never gonna happen."

"So what, you're just going to love him forever and never try to find him?" Rick asked quietly.

"I can't just _turn it off_ , Dad," Brian said, annoyed and upset. "If I could, I wouldn't still catch myself thinking that I wish I could share something with Rome. He hasn't said a word to me in _six years_ but I still think about him." He snorted and sounded suddenly pained as he went on, "A year is _nothing_. I still remember what Dom _smells like_ and how that crooked little smile he'd give me sometimes made me want to kiss him so bad I could hardly _breathe_ , or how _gentle_ he was if he had a reason to touch me, even though I was just a _friend_."

Tej could hear that Brian was on the edge of tears and he moved out the door, walking towards him as he said softly, "Baby, it's time for you to get to bed."

Brian glanced at him, wiping at his eyes as he nodded and turned away towards the boat without a word.

Tej watched until Brian was in the boat, then stepped close to Rick and gave him a hard look as he said very quietly, "Don't bring Dom up again, Rick."

Rick stared at Tej a moment, then asked softly, "How long were you listening?"

"Long enough," Tej replied softly. "Just back off and let me take care of him. I will do what's best for Brian, _always_."

"What about that girl you were kissing right in front of him?" Rick asked softly, frowning.

Tej snorted. " _Brian's_ the one who told her she should at least kiss me hello." He walked away towards the boat. "Good night, Rick."

Rick didn't reply, just watching him go.

Tej walked into the houseboat, not surprised to find Brian leaning against the kitchen counter, waiting for him. Brian's eyes were still a little wet and he looked sad and pained as he asked softly, "Why can't he just let you take care of me? He keeps trying to get me to _leave_ , like this isn't the _only_ place I've been happy in over a _year_."

Tej moved to pull Brian into his arms, holding him close and stroking Brian's hair as he murmured, "You're not going anywhere, baby. I got you, and I'm not letting you go yet. Not unless Dom comes in and sweeps you off your feet, and I ain't holding my breath waiting on that."

Brian let out a choked little laugh, holding on tight. "Yeah, me neither."

Tej kissed Brian's neck below his ear, then murmured, "I seem to recall someone saying he planned to collect his prize when we got home."

"I remember that too," Brian agreed, pulling back just enough to look at him. His blue eyes were still a little sad, but he looked hopeful as he murmured, "I want you to fuck me until I forget everything but how loved and wanted you make me feel."

"Anything you want, baby," Tej agreed, smiling softly.

"I want you in me," Brian murmured, then kissed him for a moment before he whispered, "I need it." He kissed Tej again, and Tej responded warmly as he began to guide Brian towards the bedroom.

Tej was always willing to give Brian whatever he needed.

 

~*~*~

 

The sky was just turning grey with the approaching dawn a couple weeks later when Tej woke up abruptly, confused for a moment until he heard Brian whimper behind him and realized Brian was having a nightmare.

It was the fifth nightmare Brian had since Rick started pushing Brian to move in with him, making Brian so upset that even being with Tej didn't always keep them away anymore. Rick had finally moved into his new house in Little Haiti, a sprawling two-bedroom with a big back yard and a garage, but he still came by Tej's garage often and he just could not seem to accept that Brian was happy there. All Rick saw was Tej telling Brian what to do and Brian gladly doing it, and in Rick's mind it was all about Tej being a controlling boyfriend instead of the reality that Tej made Brian feel safe by making sure Brian knew that Tej had everything under control.

Tej rolled over to face Brian, pained and sad as he realized Brian was crying in his sleep again. He stroked Brian's tear-streaked face and said firmly, "Baby, wake up."

Brian's eyes sprang open, filled with a soul-deep sorrow that made Tej sure it was another nightmare where someone he loved died, most likely Dom. Nightmares where Brian was the one being hurt left his eyes full of pain and fear, but they faded out for him more quickly once he was awake and could see it was a dream. Brian couldn't see for himself that Dom was safe, couldn't even talk to him, which made it hard for him to really believe it.

"It's okay baby," Tej murmured softly, wiping away Brian's tears. "It was another nightmare."

Brian moved closer, hiding his face against Tej's throat as he wrapped his arms around him, his voice choked with tears as he whispered, "I had to watch him _die_ because of me. He came here and Bilkins came after him with a SWAT team, and they shot him right in front of me in the main bay."

Tej closed his eyes, holding Brian close and stroking his hair as he murmured, "It wasn't real, baby boy. Dom is fine on that piece of desert you told me about in Mexico, probably sound asleep right now."

Brian let out a soft, strangled little sound, tears wet on Tej's skin as he whispered, "I hope so."

"Of course he is," Tej murmured gently. "In a few hours he'll be up with the sun, making breakfast for Letty and Leon before they start work on whatever car they've got to keep them busy out there in the middle of nowhere."

"They _would_ have a project car," Brian admitted, sounding a little less hurt. "And he would be doing all the cooking. Leon and Letty are near as bad at cooking as I am, but at least they'll take care of him."

"They've got his back," Tej agreed softly, stroking Brian's hair again. "He's okay, baby. It was just another nightmare."

"I wish they would stop again," Brian whispered, sounding sad and tired.

"I do too, baby boy." Tej kissed the top of his head, then asked softly, "Do you wanna go get started on rebuilding Kim's Civic? It's early yet, but that'll take us a while."

It had turned out that the metal shavings _were_ coming from the Civic, which Kim handed over to them after the races the night before. The plan for that morning was to tear down everything that the oil had contact with and check for damage. It was sure to take hours with just the two of them, but that was a good thing when Brian needed to get out of his head. When it was really bad wrench therapy seemed to be the only way he could forget other than having sex with Tej, and after a nightmare like that one Brian wasn't going to be in the mood for sex anytime soon.

Brian shook his head slightly. "I just want to stay here with you."

"Then we'll stay in bed as long as you need to," Tej murmured gently, nuzzling Brian's hair.

"Thank you," Brian whispered, almost too quiet for Tej to hear.

Tej ran one hand over Brian's back, slow and soothing as he whispered back, "I got nowhere I'd rather be."

Brian kissed his chest softly and then was still, just holding on to Tej.

Tej kept stroking Brian's back, wishing that Brian could sleep again but sure that he wouldn't. He never did after a nightmare, even if it meant he only slept an hour that night. Once the nightmare shattered Brian's peace, he wouldn't relax enough to sleep again until he was too tired to stay awake.

 

~*~*~

 

Brian had been in Miami just over two months when Suki came in one morning, pouting and unhappy.

Suki kept putting upgrades into her car and then trying to race in the night's main event, which always ended with Brian beating her badly, especially when he was racing the Skyline. Tej had gotten the Skyline repainted silver and blue to match the Mustang and now she was as beautiful as she was fast. Everyone in the racing scene cheered for Brian when he showed up at the line to race, and they yelled louder and longer than they did for most of the others, including Suki. It made her crazy that she couldn't beat Brian even when he borrowed someone else's car to race, which Brian was doing at least twice a week now.

Everyone knew that the Mustang and the Skyline were both damn near unbeatable with Brian behind the wheel, so the only way he could get races most nights was to drive a lesser car. The night before Brian had won in Jack's Supra, giving him two grand of the prize money and telling him to bring the car by for Brian to fix the steering, which was a little loose. That was one of the reasons people were eager to let Brian drive their cars. After he ran them, he'd fix whatever problems he found for the cost of parts as a thank you, and he always shared his winnings.

People came in every day wanting Brian to work on their car for them now that word had gone around that Brian would gladly help them become a top driver like he was, they just had to ask and do as he said. Brian had even taken a few of the younger drivers he liked out with him to let them watch him drive their cars, teaching them how to fix problems they had with their driving. He had become one of the most popular racers in Miami and everyone was starting to call him king of the street, including Tej, who loved seeing Brian getting the respect he so deserved. Even people Brian had beaten respected him and would greet him with a smile, and Brian was thriving on it.

That particular morning when Suki came in pouting, Brian, Tej, and Jimmy were sitting around their table after breakfast discussing the day's work when she walked in. She went straight to Tej, kissing his cheek, then dropped into the empty chair as she said, "Morning baby." She looked across the table. "Hey Jimmy, Bullitt."

"Hey, baby girl," Tej replied, amused that she was _still_ pouting about the night before.  She had lost the main race and was blaming the car, though Tej was sure the car was fine. Suki could beat Julio or Jack when she was having a good night, but Brian had driven Jack's Supra the night before and dominated, and Julio had been right behind him as he crossed the line, followed closely by Joaquim in his Firebird. Tej was pretty sure Suki ended up coming in last because she was so pissed off to see Brian beating her in Jack's car that she made mistakes. "What brings you here so early?"

"I was hoping Jimmy would look at my car," Suki replied, giving Jimmy a hopeful look.

"Sorry, girl," Jimmy replied immediately, "I got a full day today." The garage was twice as busy as it used to be now that most racers were coming to them, especially since it was common knowledge Jimmy and Brian had rebuilt both of his cars from stock. _Everyone_ wanted their cars to get the same treatment, and Jimmy and Brian were both happy to have the extra work. It didn't bother either of them to help the competition, Brian actually _liked_ it because it got him more chances to race.

"I'll look at it if you want, Suki," Brian offered, giving her a sweet little smile. "I was gonna make a run today to pick up the custom body panels you designed for that MR2 I'm rebuilding for Kim, but Rabbit will go for me, he won't mind."

Tej's lips twitched as he tried not to laugh. Rabbit had won his first match race the night before because Brian taught him how to shift the right way, and the kid idolized him. He'd probably _walk_ to Bonita Springs for Brian.

Suki looked at Brian for a few moments, looking kind of unhappy, then finally murmured, "I'd appreciate it, Brian."

"Anytime," Brian said quickly, looking pleased as he stood up. "Toss me the keys, I'll go bring her in."

"I left them in it," Suki replied.

"Cool," Brian said easily, walking towards the lot where she had parked in front of the office.

Tej waited until Brian was outside before he murmured, "You could try being a little happier he's giving up his free morning for you, baby girl." He let out a little amused snort. "And _my_ morning. I was gonna go with him."

Jimmy laughed and stood up. "I have work to do." He walked away quickly, and Tej had to work at it not to laugh at how transparent he was about wanting out of the line of fire.

Suki frowned at Tej. "If you want to go with _him_ , I can just go away."

Tej snorted. "I never said that. I just said you could try being nicer to him. He's doing you a _big_ favor." He got up and walked away, watching Brian pull Suki's vivid pink Honda in as he called, "I'll go call Rabbit for you, baby."

"Thanks!" Brian said with a quick grin. He parked the Honda near one of the tool chests and then shut it down, popping the hood as he got out. He was soon leaning under the hood and checking it out, and Tej was sure Brian would do his best for Suki even though she was still just sitting at the table, watching Brian with a little frown.

Rabbit came in and switched his Hyundai for Tej's pickup, taking a few minutes while he was there to thank Brian again for helping him win a race and then to gush to Suki over how lucky she was to have Brian tweaking her car. By the time Rabbit headed out again Suki was scowling as she watched Brian work, acting like he was hurting her instead of like he was doing her a favor, and it pissed Tej off.

Tej walked over to stand by Brian, resting his hand on the small of Brian's back as he leaned to see what Brian was doing and murmured too quiet for Suki to hear, "You oughta charge her just for glaring at you like that."

Brian laughed, glancing at him with a little grin as he murmured very softly, "I already found a way to boost her top speed by a good twenty. She's been playing with stuff since Jimmy worked on it last. I _know_ he didn't adjust her car like this."

Tej smirked, letting his hand slide down to Brian's ass as he murmured, "It shouldn't amuse me as much at it does that she wants to kill us right now."

Brian snickered, not looking at Suki as he muttered, "Stop feeling me up just to annoy her and go get busy on the paperwork you never did yesterday."

Tej laughed, patting his ass, then walked off towards the office to get the laptop. He really _did_ need to get the paperwork done.

Half an hour later Brian was closing the hood on Suki's Honda, grinning as he called to her, "All done. We should take her for a good long test drive, see what you think of the changes."

"If we have to," Suki agreed reluctantly, standing up and putting her phone away.

"It's either that, or you let me drive her," Brian said easily.

"I'll drive," Suki said quickly, walking towards her car. "We can go to Islamorada for lunch, I guess."

"Alright, gimme a second to grab my phone and we can go," Brian agreed, smiling as he walked towards where his phone was plugged in by the coffee pot.

Tej stood with his coffee mug and met Brian at the counter, giving him an amused little grin as he murmured, "What are you doing, baby?"

"I'm gonna try and get her to stop this bullshit," Brian replied, smiling as he unplugged his phone and tucked it into the cargo pocket on his shorts. "I had an idea. Wish me luck."

"I'm all for whatever brainstorm you had if it works," Tej agreed with a little laugh, then smirked wickedly and added, "Even if that's fucking her, baby, I don't care. Go for it."

Brian burst out laughing and headed for Suki's car, which was what Tej had intended. A few moments later Suki was peeling out of the lot, scowling angrily while Brian sat next to her, still grinning.

Jimmy looked over at Tej then, calling, "You know it's an even chance whether or not she leaves him stranded somewhere, right?"

Tej laughed. "If she does, I'm gonna slash her damn tires when she gets in."

Jimmy laughed and went back to work.

Tej sat back down at the table with the paperwork to get busy, amused still and trying not to think about what could happen with Brian in a car alone with Suki. He didn't think she'd _hurt_ Brian, not physically anyway, and he hoped she had finally really taken it to heart that hurting him with words wasn't going to do anything but hurt _Tej_. Brian felt like he deserved it, no matter how often Jimmy or Tej tried to persuade him otherwise, but things she said to him still left him fragile and hurting sometimes.

Two hours later, Tej was starting to go a little stir crazy from nerves. The restaurant Suki liked in Islamorada was only about ninety miles away, but traffic could make it most of a two hour trip on a bad day and then they'd need time to eat, so they might not be back for another hour or more. He was out of paperwork to do, so he checked the board for work that needed done and went out to the lot to get a Celica that was in for some electrical work, which would be tedious but easy to do so he wouldn't have to keep his mind on the job. There was no way he'd manage to concentrate on anything.

Tej had finished the Celica and just put it back out into the lot when he saw Suki's Honda zipping towards him, darting in and out of traffic like the other cars were standing still. Brian was at the wheel, laughing at something, and Tej was shocked to see Suki was laughing too. Brian pulled into the lot and stopped the car in the middle of the way not far from Tej, grinning wide and happy as he got out and said, "I'll tweak the suspension tonight then, just bring it by whenever you get done with that party for your cousin."

"I will, I promise," Suki agreed easily, beaming as she stood in the car and stepped over the console into the driver's side, then leaned to kiss Brian's cheek. "Thanks for lunch, baby."

"Anytime, baby girl," Brian said with a wide happy smile, then walked away towards Tej.

Suki looked over at Tej, smiling happily as she said, "See you tonight!"

"I'll be here," Tej replied, still surprised.

Suki waved and then she was pulling out of the lot, driving fast.

Tej looked at Brian, who was grinning and smug, and said the first thing that came to mind. "You gotta fuck her _all the time_ if that's what happens."

Brian started laughing and so did Jimmy and Julio, which made Tej realize they had come to the edge of the bay to listen. "I didn't fuck her," Brian said once he got control of himself again, grinning wide and happy. "I told her _everything_ about us."

"Everything?" Tej asked, his eyes widening a little. "Even about the raves?" It had been a summer he mostly forgot because of all the booze, but it was still embarrassing to remember how into the scene they were for a while.

" _Especially_ about the raves," Brian said cheerfully, starting into the garage. "And the time with the spiked weed at that party at Riley's when you got so high I had to carry you home piggyback because you couldn't remember how to use your feet and I was too stoned to drive, and that one time we went to that party in dresses and spike heels and I nearly broke my ankle dancing on the bar, and the thing with the _donkey_ , and just, yeah. Everything."

Tej followed Brian, feeling like his face was on fire as he said, "Baby, I don't know whether to kiss you or kill you."

"Pick one later," Julio said with a laugh. "I gotta hear about the donkey."

Jimmy laughed. "Me too."

"Oh God," Tej said, laughing and embarrassed as he sat down in his usual seat at the table.

Brian went to the fridge for a hard lemonade, then moved to sit at their table, grinning wide and happy still. "Well, see, there was this little old lady who had a beat-up Miata parked in her yard that Tej wanted as a parts car for the Miata he was driving back then. We stopped to ask if she'd sell it, and she said we could _have_ it if we did her a favor. There was this field behind her house, and there was this donkey out there that kept killing her neighbor's chickens and any stray dogs that got out there. She said if we caught it for her and locked it up in this barn, the Miata was ours."

Tej hid his face in his hand, laughing. "We should have _known_ that sounded too easy."

"We really should have," Brian agreed, amused. "So anyway, here we were, these two city kids who never _saw_ a donkey before--"

"No, I had seen a donkey before, just not out in a pasture," Tej interrupted with a little laugh. "I kicked Riley's ass for it, too."

Brian laughed, surprised and confused. "Why was _Riley_ showing you a donkey?"

"We were in Tijuana and there was this _bar_ he wanted to go to, and I was all for it until we got inside and I found out he wanted to see the donkey show," Tej said, making a face.

"Do I dare ask?" Brian asked, amused.

"You _don't_ wanna know, baby," Tej said firmly.

Julio snickered. "Yeah, that's just _nasty_."

Jimmy laughed. "Back to the story, Bri."

Brian laughed and thought a second, then picked up, "So yeah, city kids, knew nothing about donkeys, and here we go out into this overgrown pasture about four feet high in weeds and grass, and we're walking around and not seeing a damn thing. We walked around for like ten minutes, checking behind the barn and looking in the bushes and then we realized there was something in the weeds, following us around. We stopped, and it stopped, and we looked at each other, and Tej was all 'maybe it's a dog' and I said no, 'cause the lady said the donkey killed anything that small that went in the pasture. I started walking towards whatever it was, and it let out this blood curdling screeching noise that freaked us the fuck out, and we both took off running towards the barn with this _thing_ running through the weeds behind us."

Jimmy was grinning wide by then and said, "It was totally the donkey."

"It so was," Brian agreed, laughing. "We ran in the barn and realized there was nowhere in there to hide about the time this little bitty _fat_ donkey about three feet tall and nearly that wide comes barrelling into the barn after us. It looked like it wanted to _kill_ something, big ol' ears all pinned back and these big ugly yellow teeth bared and murder in his eyes, and it went for us like we were going to be his fuckin' _lunch_. Tej went one way, and I went the other, and it went after him."

Jimmy and Julio both laughed as Tej said, "That damn donkey was _possessed_. Little bastard bit my _ass_."

"It bit him _hard_ and Tej was screaming bloody murder, and _I_ was freaking out, and the donkey didn't wanna let go," Brian added, almost giggling. "The donkey slung its head sideways, and then Tej was flying towards me with no pants, cause the donkey ripped his jeans right off."

"And a chunk of my ass, too," Tej added with a little laugh. "I still got the scar."

Jimmy was grinning wide, trying not to laugh again as he asked, "What happened next?"

"Well, Tej ran into me where I was standing in the barn doorway," Brian said with a wide grin, "and we were both staring while the donkey _attacked_ his jeans. It was making these little angry growly squealing noises and ripping the jeans _apart_ , and then it looked at us and let out this bellow and lunged for us again. We both screamed like little girls and ran like the hounds of Hell were chasing us for the fence."

"And Bri always had those long damn legs of his," Tej added, "so _I_ was the one that fuckin' donkey caught again just before I got to the fence."

"It got his t-shirt that time," Brian said, giggling. "Didn't hurt him, but ripped it right off. We went flying over the fence into this little old lady's back yard and landed in a pile in the grass, and she had three of her little old lady friends there with her up on this deck where they watched the whole thing. I was fine, just scared half the death, but Tej, his ass was bleeding like a stuck pig and he was naked except for his sneakers, and all scratched up from running through the weeds with no pants. The little old lady and her friends were laughing so hard that one of them _peed_ herself, and another one had to take a heart pill."

Jimmy and Julio cracked up laughing.

"Yeah, yeah, go ahead and laugh," Tej said, laughing too. "It's funny _now_ , but then I wanted to go back and _shoot_ that damn donkey."

"It took _weeks_ for his ass to heal," Brian said, giggling again. "It still looks like someone took a bite of the right cheek, perfect teeth marks."

Julio was grinning wide as he looked at Tej and said, "Did you at least get the Miata?"

"Oh Hell no," Tej said, laughing. "She wanted that little demon _locked up_ in the barn, and there was no way I was going back over that fence."

"Me either," Brian agreed, laughing. "We told her to keep it and drove home to get Tej some clothes, then had to take him to the emergency room because his ass hurt so bad. The nurse had a good laugh over the teeth marks on his ass, telling me not to bite so hard next time, even if it did look good enough to eat."

Jimmy laughed, wiping at his eyes as he said, "And that was just _one_ of the stories you told Suki?"

"Yeah," Brain agreed, reaching for his lemonade with a wide grin. "I had _her_ giggling so much that she almost peed herself." He looked at Tej, grinning wide. "She and I are friends now. She _loves_ me, was calling me baby all through lunch and the drive home. We made a deal and when she gets what she wants from you, then I'm off limits."

Tej laughed. "What does she want?"

"She told me not to tell," Brian replied with a laugh. "You gotta figure it out yourself so she knows it really is your idea."

"Aww, fuck, baby," Tej said, surprised. "How the hell should I know what she wants?! She's _crazy_!"

"Crazy about you, yeah," Brian agreed, grinning wide and happy. "She really _does_ love you. I was right. She just didn't think she had anything to worry about until that night I was on the way into town and she saw you talk to me on the phone. She's been so jealous she couldn't see straight because she thought I was going to keep you forever and you're the _only_ guy she's ever really wanted."

"We told her like a _thousand_ times that it's not like that," Tej said, frowning slightly.

"She didn't believe it, not until she knew how it _really_ is between us," Brian replied, smiling softly at Tej. "You're part of me, but I'm your best friend, not the love of your life." He grinned suddenly, adding, "I think finding out you talk about her in bed tipped the scales, honestly."

Tej laughed, feeling his face heating up. "You told her about what we do in bed? _You_?"

"No details," Brian said quickly, blushing slightly, "but she needed to know that you really _do_ want her like you want to keep breathing." He laughed softly. "Or like you want _me_ to keep breathing. She doesn't hate me so much for having sex with you all the time now that she knows half the time it was her fault."

"Not _half_ the time," Tej disagreed with a little laugh, embarrassed. "More like one in five."

"Don't tell _her_ that, dumbass," Julio said, laughing. "Just run with what he told her. He got your ass out of trouble with your girl _and_ got her happy you're getting laid. Don't argue."

"Amen," Jimmy said quickly, amused. "Let her be happy so she'll stop stalking around here like a pissed off cat. It's getting really old."

Tej laughed. "Well, when you put it like that…"

Brian grinned at Tej. "C'mon, say it. I wanna hear the words."

"I love you, baby boy," Tej replied obediently.

Brian grinned even wider, blue eyes bright and happy. "Of course you do, I'm _awesome_."

Tej laughed. That was usually what he told Brian.

 

~*~*~

 

The next week was kind of surreal for Tej, who could hardly believe the change in Suki. Whatever Brian had said and done that day they went out together, it was _exactly right_. Tej had no idea how he had done it, but he loved him even more for it.

Suki was acting almost like she did before Brian entered the picture, flirting with Tej and teasing him, though now she would invite herself into his lap sometimes and kiss him until she had him hard and practically panting for her. Then she'd suddenly bounce up and say she had to go, kiss Brian's cheek, and breeze out with her girls, smirking. She seemed to adore Brian now, sweet and friendly to him and always kissing his cheek, and Brian was encouraging her shamelessly to flirt with Tej.

Tej couldn't get enough of Suki and her girls were always giggling over Suki getting him hard and wanting right out in public and then leaving him like that, but Tej didn't feel guilty at all because Brian was usually sitting a few feet away, watching with a wide happy grin and sparkling eyes. Brian made sure Tej wasn't left wanting for long after Suki left, even letting Tej drag him off to bed in the middle of the day, and Tej couldn't believe how good his life was. Brian was happy and his nightmares had faded away again, and Suki was happy, and Tej was _ecstatic_.

One week slid into two, and then three, and Tej was starting to think his life was _perfect_ when his whole world got turned upside down again.

Brian had been on his own for about an hour since Tej had to leave for a race meet, working in another shop's borrowed paint shed. He was painting Rachel's classic Corvette a dark blood red for her, which had turned out to need an extra layer of clear coat before it met with Brian's standards, and Brian wasn't likely to get a race that night so he just stayed to finish. He was done and home by the time Tej called him to come join the night's main race though, fresh out of the shower, and Brian got to the meet in a little over three minutes, practically _flying_ across town. He won the race easily, making the bridge jump Tej had come up with to spice things up look like child's play, and then he collected his winnings, sharing the purse with Tej.

Tej went to check on Suki, whose car got a little tore up by the jump, and glanced over and saw Brian talking to a hot Latina a good ten years older that he had seen watching Brian a few times recently, and then suddenly everything went to Hell in a handbasket.

Unmarked police cars streamed in from _everywhere_ with bubble lights going and the racers crowded around panicked. There was a scramble and Tej ended up with Suki, but even as they ran he could see the cops were ignoring most of the racers, converging on the shining silver Skyline. Brian was zipping through the throng like the cops were standing still though, so Tej thought he had a good chance of getting away. The Skyline was the fastest thing on the road in Miami, and Brian was the best driver, by far. They usually raced in the same part of town and Brian knew the streets there like the back of his hand, so Tej was fairly confident they couldn't easily corner him.

Suki's car was torn up bad enough it sounded horrible and was riding really rough, so it took her a little while to baby it back to the garage. Tej kept expecting to see the Skyline zip up next to them all the way, and was starting to freak out a little when they got to the garage. He wasn't at all surprised when they got home to find quite a few of the racers had gathered there, but all he really cared about was looking for the distinctive shining silver of Brian's car. The usual party atmosphere was completely absent, people talking in quiet groups instead and worrying about what they could have done to piss off the cops. The racing scene had relied on the easy tolerance of the local P.D. for so long that suddenly having cops after them was a very rude awakening.

Tej barely looked around to see who was there before he began to ignore them all. He moved to stand in the office doorway watching the street for the Skyline, and he had a great view when Rabbit came flying down the road and slid into the lot. The kid was so panicked he nearly ran down several people who almost didn't make it out of his way fast enough when he misjudged his sliding stop.

Rabbit jumped out of his Hyundai while it was still rocking on the wheels and ran to Tej, freaking out and looking like he had been crying as he said, "Brian got caught. They held me and Jack and a few others too until this guy walked up to where they were holding us and told them to let everyone go, it was O'Connor they were after."

"Fuck," Tej muttered, trying not to panic. "You're sure?"

"I was like five feet away when he said it," Rabbit said quickly. "I got back here as fast as I could when they let me go."

"You did good, kid," Tej murmured  fighting to keep control of himself. "Thanks. Anything you need, you just ask. Jimmy and I, we got you, okay?"

"I don't need anything but for you to get Brian _out_ ," Rabbit replied quickly, worried and upset.

Jimmy hurried up then, frowning. "What's going on?"

"Brian got hauled in," Tej said shortly. "I gotta go call Rick, find out what the fuck is going on. Brian hasn't done _anything_ wrong, he hasn't even gotten a _ticket_ since he got here."

"Go," Jimmy said quickly. "I got things here."

"Thanks, brother," Tej said quickly, putting his hand on Jimmy's shoulder an instant before he turned to walk around the side of the garage, calling back, "Anything Rabbit needs, he gets!"

"You got it, boss!" Jimmy called back, guiding Rabbit into the garage.

Tej walked quickly around the side of the building and towards the back, avoiding everyone as he headed for the boat. He was about to step down on it when he finally noticed Suki sitting in one of the chairs waiting, looking worried and holding Brian's phone.

"I tried calling him but it just rang and rang, so I came to see if he took it with him," Suki said softly, worried. "Tej, I'm scared. He should be back by now."

"Me too, baby girl," Tej admitted. "Rabbit just told me Brian got caught and then they turned everyone else loose."

"But why?" Suki asked, surprised and upset. "He hasn't done anything!"

"No clue, baby," Tej replied softly, reaching into his pocket for his phone as he sat down in the other chair. He thumbed through to his contacts and then tapped Rick's name, listening to it ring a few times before Rick's voicemail picked up.

"Hey, it's Rick. I'm busy, a cop's work is never done. You know the deal."

Tej swallowed hard, waiting for the beep before he said quickly, "Poppa bear, it's Tej. Brian just got arrested and I'm freaking out over here, man. Call me as soon as you know why. Thanks." He hung up and then just sat there holding the phone a few moments before Suki was suddenly in front of him, crying as she reached to wipe his cheek and made him notice _he_ was crying.

"He'll be okay, baby," Suki whispered, sad and upset. "He hasn't done anything except speeding, and that's just fines. He'll be out by morning."

"I hope so," Tej agreed, putting his phone into his pocket and then reaching for her to pull her into his arms.

Suki hugged him tightly, kissing his cheek and then laying her head on his shoulder and just holding on while they waited for Rick to call back. It started to rain a little while later, gusts of wind blowing the cold rain to where they were, and they moved inside the boat, laying down together on Brian's bed in what used to be the living room. Brian had turned the living room into a bedroom mostly to shut up Rick, who kept saying Brian didn't have anything of his own except his Mustang, but it turned out to be a _lot_ cooler in what used to be the living room, so it was where Brian and Tej slept all the time now.

Tej called Rick again a few minutes later but still got voicemail so he just hung up, laying there in the bed that smelled like Brian, holding Suki close and trying not to cry again. They had been there for over an hour when Jimmy suddenly walked in, sitting down on the bed by them as Suki rolled over in Tej's arms to look at him.

Jimmy looked worried and unhappy as he said quietly, "The Skyline's LoJack has been disabled and Kali can't get the remote activation to work, so I made some calls. It hasn't been impounded, none of the guys working the lots tonight have seen a silver Skyline, so Kali just left to go to the last known location she got out of the system, see if it's still there." He paused, then added softly, "She says if she can't get in at all, the computer's been completely knocked out somehow."

"At least we know Brian wasn't in it," Tej murmured, trying hard to stay calm. "Rabbit heard that cop say they caught him. If the car is a loss, we'll just start over with something else."

Suki rubbed Tej's arm where it was around her waist, murmuring softly, "Brian will enjoy having a project again."

"Yeah, he will," Tej murmured, closing his eyes and hiding his face against her hair.

Jimmy reached over to put his hand on Tej's leg, murmuring, "He'll be okay, little brother. Brian hasn't broken any laws he could do time for. Whatever they took him in for, Rick can get him out of it."

"I'm tryin' to tell myself that," Tej agreed softly, "but then I remember he's got a record and they could try and say he's a habitual offender." He swallowed hard. "Even a few days inside would be too much for him. If they've got him in a holding cell, he is _losing it_ right now."

"Keep trying to get Rick," Jimmy said quietly. "He can get answers, if nothing else, tell us what we're dealing with. Then we can go from there."

Tej picked his phone up off the bed and tried again, waiting through Rick's message before he said, "Rick, _call me._ " He hung up without another word, dropping the phone back on the bed.

"Stay here, try to get some rest," Jimmy murmured softly. "Rick will call when he can. He's probably downtown right now trying to get Brian out."

"I hope so," Tej agreed.

Jimmy patted his leg, murmuring, "I'm going to go get started on Suki's car, fix the front suspension so she can at least drive home. She snapped the bolts on the lower control arm on the right side _and_ busted the upper arm on the left. I'm kind of surprised you got it here without something else breaking."

"Leave it until tomorrow," Suki said quietly. "I'm not going anywhere."

"You don't have to stay, baby girl," Tej disagreed. "Take the Acura, you can drive it until we get your car fixed."

Suki rolled to her back to look at Tej, frowning. "You're freaking out, baby. I'm not leaving you alone."

Tej met her gaze for a moment and then sighed. "Alright, but I'm gonna be crappy company."

"I still love you even when you're scared," Suki murmured, rolling towards him to wrap her arms around him, tucking her head under his chin. "We can worry together."

"I'm still gonna work on the car," Jimmy murmured. "I gotta have something to do or _I'm_ gonna freak out." He stood and walked out of the boat without another word.

Tej kissed the top of Suki's head and then was still and silent, praying that the phone would ring soon. He called Rick four more times, but every time he hung up when he heard the voice mail message. Leaving more messages wouldn't help, Rick wasn't going to call faster just because Tej was freaking out. Tej was starting to wonder if Rick would call at all after a few hours. Suki had finally fallen asleep, but Tej couldn't stop worrying about Brian enough to relax and was still wide awake when the phone finally began to play Rick's ringtone just before dawn.

Tej grabbed the phone and answered it before the fifth note of the song. "Is he okay?"

"He's fine, Tej, calm down," Rick said immediately. "I just got a chance to check my phone and found your messages. It was all a big misunderstanding. Brian's with me, we're at the airport."

" _Airport_?" Tej echoed, shocked. "What the Hell, Rick?"

"There's a family emergency," Rick said quietly. "I was looking for Brian last night and he wasn't home so I asked dispatch to find out if anyone had seen his cars. The fucking _idiot_ put out an APB and scared him half to death, running him down and hauling him in, but he's okay now."

"Rick, Brian hasn't _got_ any other family," Tej pointed out, frowning because that story didn't add up. The cops _knew_ where the meets were, they always did, and everyone knew Brian's dad was a homicide detective. If a cop showed up asking for Brian, people would have freaked out, but only because they were worried Rick got hurt or something. Nobody at the meet thought they had a reason to hide from the cops until _after_ the cars charged in with sirens going and started a panic. "Just Grandma Lily."

"She fell a few days ago, broke her hip," Rick said, sounding a little odd. "I just found out."

Tej's frown deepened into a scowl. He was _sure_ Rick was lying to him now, but he had no idea why he would. "Let me talk to him."

"He's asleep," Rick replied, then added a little pointedly, "I'll have him back to you in a few days, Tej. You can live without him that long."

There was no way in Hell Brian fell asleep after being run down and arrested. He'd be too freaked to relax for _days_ unless Tej was there to take his mind off of it, and even _with_ Tej it was doubtful he'd actually sleep. "I know you're lying to me, Richard. Promise me you'll bring him back safe."

Rick was silent a few moments, then finally sighed. "I _promise_ I will bring him back to you soon, okay? He'll tell you everything then, I'm sure. Just, for now, he's with me and that's all you need to know." He paused, then added more softly, "That's all I can say. I wasn't supposed to call anyone. I had to hide in the _bathroom_."

Tej swallowed hard, closing his eyes. Something _big_ was going on, and he _hated_ knowing Brian had been dragged into the middle. "Is it about Dom?"

"Nothing to do with that," Rick replied quietly. "I gotta go, they just called our flight. He'll be back in a couple days." He hung up without letting Tej say anything else.

Tej turned off the phone and dropped it on the bed and then was still, just listening to the water on the side of the boat for a few moments in silence before Suki murmured, "What's going on, baby?"

"I don't know," Tej murmured, worried and upset. "Rick's got Brian, or says he does anyway. He _said_ they're flying out for a family emergency and they'd be back in a couple days."

"Bri hasn't got any family," Suki whispered softly.

"I know, baby girl," Tej agreed, closing his eyes. "There's just us and his Grandma Lily, and she's fine. Brian just talked to her yesterday."

Suki was quiet for a few moments and Tej was wondering if she was asleep again when she murmured, "Rick loves him. He won't let him get hurt."

"I hope not," Tej whispered softly, but deep down he didn't really trust in Rick to protect Brian.

It was Rick who put Brian undercover and destroyed his world, almost destroyed _him_.

 

~*~*~

 

Tej tried hard to hide it, but he was a bundle of nerves all day. He never did sleep, which left him tired and then wired from drinking too much coffee to try to keep his energy up, and through it all he couldn't stop worrying about Brian. Kali didn't find the Skyline when she went looking, but she _did_ find where it had crashed. There weren't any scorch marks on the road so it didn't burn completely, but she said the whole area stank of fire extinguisher chemicals and there were enough damaged bits scattered around that the car would definitely need some bodywork if they got it back.

By one, Tej was pacing in the garage, just limping around restlessly and not really seeing anything he was looking at, and Jimmy finally told Suki to just get Tej out of the way. Tej was annoyed for only a moment before he gave in, and he and Suki ended up taking the Acura to Islamorada for an early dinner. It was nearly nine when they got back and found the garage empty of cars except for Suki's Honda and Julio's RX-7 with Kali's little BMW parked out front by the pickup.

Jimmy had evidently been hard at work on the Honda because it was mostly intact again, a replacement front bumper in place and bondo drying in patches where he repaired the other damage. He was sitting at their usual table with Kali and Julio, and when Tej and Suki walked up Jimmy immediately said, "We're out of work, boss, and _nothing_ on the roster for tomorrow yet. We were just talking about taking a day off, setting up a day on the river. We haven't done that in a couple weeks and we could all use a break."

"Sounds great," Tej agreed immediately. "If that can't get my mind off worrying, nothing will."

"That's what we thought," Kali agreed, standing up and moving to hug Tej tightly. He returned the hug and she kissed his cheek, then murmured, "He'll be okay, Tej."

"I'll believe it when I see him home safe," Tej replied quietly, trying to smile. "Thanks, though."

"You gotta have faith," Julio said suddenly, making Tej look at him in surprise. "It will all turn out as it should, _mi hermano_. Remember?"

Tej was sure Julio was thinking about the day Tej told him he had faith he'd wind up with the one he was supposed to be with, which kind of hurt with Brian suddenly gone and Suki still there next to him. "I'll have faith when he's _home_ ," Tej said firmly. "I'm not gonna relax until I see Brian back here safe and know Rick didn't fuck up his life again."

"What happened before?" Julio asked.

"A lot, but it ended up with Brian in Chino," Tej replied. "Rick's his dad, closest thing he has to one anyway, but I still can't trust him with Brian after that."

"Closest thing he has to one?" Jimmy repeated, surprised.

"Brian never knew his real father," Tej explained, sure it was something Brian wouldn't be upset that Jimmy, Kali, and Julio knew. Brian claimed them as family and didn't hide much from them anymore, as open and honest with them as he was with Suki. He still didn't tell them _everything_ , only Tej heard some things, but Tej was sure that Brian wouldn't mind him sharing about Rick. "Brian's mom met Rick when Bri was just a baby and they dated for years before Rick finally talked her into marrying him. Rick adopted Bri about a year before his mother died so he's legally Brian's dad, but they aren't actually related. Brian's mom was an orphan, grew up in foster care, and her worst fear was Brian ending up there so Rick made sure it couldn't happen."

"How old was Brian then?" Suki asked softly, sad.

Tej looked at her. "Her funeral was the day before he turned fifteen, that's why he doesn't celebrate his birthday. To him, it's just a reminder of when she died."

"Damn," Jimmy murmured softly, pained. "And then right after that he spent two years in juvie with that guy Rome."

Tej looked at Jimmy, nodding. "For stealing cars, joyriding to try to forget for a few minutes." He paused, then added, "I met Brian right after he got out. He had just turned seventeen and felt like he had nobody in the world except Rick, who was so busy being a cop he barely had time for him. Bri was kind of a wreck then because he and Rome had just parted ways, all torn apart inside and trying hard not to let anyone know, but it didn't take him long to let me in so I could help him deal with it all. We spent the next couple of years together pretty much all the time, and then talked every day for another year after that."

"Which is why when he got out of Chino, he was so glad to come here with you," Suki said softly. "He knew you could save him from himself again."

"Exactly," Tej agreed quietly. "This time was easier in some ways because he already trusted me, but a hundred times worse in others. In juvie he had Rome protecting him most of the time, but Brian was all alone in Chino and he got hurt bad. It's been hard on him trying to get past it, harder than he lets anyone but me see. He's still not back to a hundred percent, not even _eighty_ percent yet, which is why Rick pulling this shit has me so worried. I don't want him tearing down all the progress Brian has made. He's been doing great the last few weeks, happy and not thinking anymore about any of the shit he went through, doing so good even the nightmares had _finally_ stopped. The last thing he needs is _more_ trauma."

"If Rick does anything stupid, we'll just have to take care of Bri when we get him back," Jimmy said firmly. "We're not gonna give up on him, he's _family_."

"Definitely," Kali agreed quickly, looking upset but determined. "I'll help, too. Bri is like my big brother, I'd do anything for him."

"Count me in too, _mi hermano_ ," Julio agreed, nodding. "Anything I can do, just ask." He smiled wryly. "Well, when I'm not working. I just had to sign up for a second shift again, my car needs a new set of tires in back and I still owe you for that last crash." He glanced at his watch and stood, adding, "And speaking of, I need to get out of here. I gotta be at work in an hour and I gotta go home to switch cars and get my uniform." He was working security in the parking garage for one of the hotels downtown, spending hours at a time sitting in a guard shack, watching the gate and playing games on his cell phone. It was boring but easy, which was just his speed.

Kali giggled and looked at Julio. "You wouldn't need so many repairs if you learned to _drive_."

Julio laughed. "Don't make me turn you over my knee, little calico."

"I'd like to see you try," Kali replied quickly with a smirk. "I'm not like those _perras_ you have panting after you and polishing your car." She lifted one hand, showing him her fingernails, which were painted black with delicate red and yellow flames. "This kitty has _claws_."

Julio's eyebrows went up and he laughed softly, just looking at her like he hadn't ever really seen her before for a moment and then heading for the door. "Night all." There was a chorus of good night wishes from the rest of them and then Julio was getting into his car to go.

Suki stepped closer to Tej then, sliding her arms around his waist and pressing close to his side, and Tej looked at her in surprise. She gave him a sweet smile as she said, "We'll _all_ help you take care of Brian, baby. Don't worry."

Tej put his arm around Suki's shoulders, leaning to kiss her softly and then smiling as he murmured, "Thanks, darlin'."

Suki smiled and laid her head on Tej's shoulder, looking at Jimmy. "So a river day tomorrow? Jet ski races, all the water toys, maybe a barbecue?"

"That's what I was thinking," Jimmy agreed, smiling. "I'll go first thing in the morning, get the pit out of storage and load the truck up with charcoal and food. I figured burgers and hotdogs would be easy and everyone likes one or the other."

"Or both," Kali added, grinning. "Wake me when you get up, I'll help."

"Sure," Jimmy agreed easily. "Before or after I shower?"

"Before, definitely," Kali replied, grinning wickedly, and Jimmy winked at her.

Tej laughed, eyebrows going up. "When did this happen?"

Kali looked at Tej, surprised. "Where have _you_ been? I've been sleeping at Jimmy's for _weeks_. My apartment got flooded and the super is being an ass about getting it fixed, so Jimmy let me stay with him." She giggled. "Well, when he goes home, most of the time he just sleeps here." She grinned impishly. "Jimmy gave me a key to the back door here _months_ ago, though."

Tej looked at Jimmy, still surprised, and Jimmy laughed. "I told you that I get with a girl more in two weeks than you and Bri put together _ever_ have, little brother. Kali and I have been friends since before he even got here."

Kali giggled. "Really _good_ friends," she added, standing up. "I just don't stay over when he's sleeping here." She walked over to sit down astride Jimmy's lap like she owned him, kissing him thoroughly while Jimmy's hands settled easily on her ass.

Tej laughed, looking at Suki. "Why does nobody ever tell me these things?"

"You were too caught up in Brian the last few months to notice anyone else," Suki said with a wry little smile. "He's been your world, baby."

Kali pulled away from Jimmy with a giggle, looking at Tej. " _Brian_ has known a long time. I was leaving one night when he came in to get something out of the Mustang in just his shorts." She giggled again. "I kinda think it was something embarrassing, too. I didn't know _anyone_ could blush all the way to their _nipples_."

"He never said anything about you two," Tej said, amused and sure it was probably one of the times they bought more lube and forgot it in the car. They didn't bother with condoms anymore, not since Brian tested clean the second time. Brian had tested clean before he got to Miami but he had wanted to be absolutely sure, waiting a month and going in to test again before he finally believed it. "He probably figured I knew, I told him you're part of the family back when you were programming the Skyline for him."

Kali beamed. "I love you too, sweetie." She grinned impishly. "I did that for Jimmy, though. He paid me with kisses and seriously awesome sex." Her grin turned wicked. "It's true, what they say about mechanics being good with their hands and having the best tools for the job."

Suki giggled as Tej smirked at Kali and said, "Thank you."

Kali blinked and then laughed. "I meant Jimmy, but going by the noises I've heard Brian making, you do fine too."

Tej laughed too. "Just don't ever tell _him_ you heard us."

"I wouldn't," Kali agreed with a little grin. "He'd never stop blushing. Is he that shy in private, too?"

"Never," Tej said with a smirk. "I'm just the only one who gets to see him like that."

"The only one _ever_?" Kali asked, surprised.

Tej let out a little laugh. "Only one since he was seventeen. There was a guy before that, but I haven't asked what it was like with him." He paused and then added, "There was a girl one time too, but she kinda scared him off women."

Kali grinned. "Girl parts scared him?"

"No, getting his back clawed did," Tej replied, amused. "Girl gave him _scars_ , she dug in so hard. Looks like a big cat got him, right above his ass."

Kali giggled. "Poor Brian. He's too sweet to get rough with him like that."

"For sure," Tej agreed, smiling as he thought about Brian and barely aware he was speaking out loud as he added, "Sweet and beautiful and _always_ eager for it."

"So just like Suki, only with a _real_ cock," Kali said, smirking. "Suki's has a harness."

Suki blushed very red. "Kali! Shut up!"

Tej looked at Suki, smirking. "Nice to know I won't have to live without some things after all."

Suki's eyes widened a little and then she giggled, still blushing very red but looking pleased.

Kali smirked. "You're going to be _perfect_ for her. She likes to top a _lot_."

"Seriously, Kali, shut up!" Suki said, hiding her blushing face against Tej's chest.

Tej smirked at Kali over Suki's head. "We can talk about that when she and Bri aren't around."

"Works for me," Kali agreed, smirking and pleased. "You need to know how to make her happy, Suki's special."

Tej pulled Suki a little closer, holding her as he said, "She sure is."

Suki tipped her head back to look at him, still blushing very red. "Or you could wait and we can learn that kind of thing from each other."

Tej looked into Suki's eyes a moment and then smiled. "Forget about that talk, Kali. I got a better offer."

Kali giggled. "Suit yourself." She turned back to Jimmy to kiss him again.

Suki smiled and reached up to pull Tej down into a kiss that made him groan softly after a few minutes and pull away, amused and breathless. "Dammit, woman, don't start that unless you're gonna finish it."

Suki pulled away with a little giggle, blushing. "Sorry, baby. It's a habit now."

"Brian's not here to pick up the slack for you, baby girl," Tej murmured, his amusement fading away as he thought about Brian again.

"I understand, baby," Suki agreed softly, giving him a squeeze and laying her head on his shoulder.

Tej just held her, his nose buried in her hair as he closed his eyes and prayed Rick wasn't getting Brian into trouble again.

 

~*~*~

 

Tej had just started another jet ski race when Kali was suddenly in front of him, grinning. "Brian's back. He's talking to Jimmy now."

Tej twisted quickly to see Brian standing very close to Jimmy in the open bay, smiling bright and happy and looking good, and his shoulders slumped a little with relief. He noticed a muscular, bald black guy standing close watching them and frowned a little, wondering who it was. The guy was dressed in dirty-looking baggy jeans and a sleeveless denim shirt, showing off muscular arms and several tattoos, and he was watching Brian like nothing else existed.

Tej heard the jet skis pulling closer then and had to turn back towards the water, picking up calling the race, but his mind wasn't on it anymore. He glanced back towards Brian again a few moments later and saw Brian hanging all over the black guy, grinning and holding him with an arm around the guy's neck and his other hand on the guy's shoulder. He said something that made the guy smirk as he grabbed Brian's hand and stared at Suki's girls, particularly Rachel, who was looking back at him, and Brian grinned.

Tej turned his attention back to the water, wondering what happened the last two days. There was no question in his mind Brian had known the guy a _lot_ longer than that, Brian just did _not_ treat strangers like that, not even ones he liked. Tej was pretty sure it wasn't Dom, not with a last name like Toretto, which left only Rome unless maybe it was Leon. Brian hadn't said a lot about Leon and Tej didn't have any clue what the guy looked like, but he kind of doubted he was black with a name like _Leon_.

Tej tried to get his mind back on the race, pretending not to notice when Brian and the guy approached until Brian actually said something to him.

"Hey, Tej Parker?" Brian said, making Tej look towards him. "Roman Pearce."

Tej reached out to bump fists with Rome, suddenly a little pissed as he realized Brian really _had_ disappeared for the guy who hurt him so bad when they were kids. He didn't say anything, not wanting to upset Brian as he fought to keep his temper under control and went back to calling the race. He had wanted to give Rome a piece of his mind since just a few days after he met Brian, and the years since then hadn't lessened his anger at him all that much.

Tej tried to act like he didn't hear it as Brian said to Rome, "Tej here, he's _the_ man to know in Miami, king of the scene. He's got his fingers into absolutely _everything_."

Rome didn't reply, and after a moment Brian turned his attention to Suki and asked, "What's going on, Suki?"

"What's up, baby?" Suki said happily as she looked up, and Tej watched out of the corner of his eye as she pulled Brian down for a kiss.

Brian smiled at Suki after they pulled apart, keeping his hand on her back and looking down into her eyes as he asked quietly, "How you doing, baby girl?"

"I'm good, Bullitt," Suki said happily, "how're you?"

Brian didn't answer, which sent up red flags for Tej, but he tried not to let it show as Brian asked Suki, "What's this? What's the latest?"

Suki held up the drawing. "It's a work in progress, it's not finished yet."

"That's some artistic shit," Rome said then and Tej glanced over to see the guy was smiling even though his eyes looked angry. "You got talent, girl."

"Yeah, she's the best," Brian agreed.

Tej called the end of the jet ski race, glad to see Ray won it, then stood to go collect his winnings from the people who had bet with him. He stopped on the pier a few moments later and put the megaphone down by his feet, starting to count the money as Brian approached him again.

"Not too bad, Tej," Brian said quietly, sounding pleased.

Tej smirked slightly, not looking up. "Woo!"

"I see you're all about your money, homey," Rome murmured, and Tej looked at him to see Rome giving him a hard stare, his eyes still angry. "You race too?"

Tej looked back at his money as he took a deep breath and let it out, fighting not to say any of the things he'd wanted to say to Rome for _years_. "Nah man, I hit a wall doing a buck twenty a couple years ago. Ever since then I just been organizing and collecting."

"Tej is the best, he keeps the scene hopping and calls me in to race all the time," Brian pointed out then, sounding fond enough it made Tej smile.

Tej didn't look up, but he relaxed slightly. " _You're_ the best, Bullitt."

"Nah man, you'd beat me by a mile if you ran," Brian said quietly, and Tej smiled a little wider as he looked over finally and met Brian's gaze. Brian's expression was kind of serious, but his eyes were warm and a little amused, and it made some more of Tej's worries fade out. He still had no idea what Rick had gotten Brian into or why Rome was there after six years of refusing to even _talk_ to Brian, but whatever it was, Brian wasn't freaking out. He was tired, looked like he hadn't slept in days, but he was doing better than Tej had expected him to be when they got him back. "Rome's gonna be in town for a while, Tej," Brian murmured, gesturing towards the garage. "Is there any way he could use that cot?"

Tej stared at Brian a moment, surprised, then looked at the boat and back at Brian, frowning. "What's wrong with your place, man?" There were two bedrooms in the boat now and they never used the smaller one. It'd be pretty warm, and Rome would hear everything that went on in the next room, but with Rome there Tej wasn't sure anything would be going on anyway. Not the way he saw Brian hanging all over Rome a few minutes earlier. Brian wasn't the kind of person who hung all over people. The only guy he usually even _touched_ was Tej, though Brian was becoming comfortable with Suki and Kali getting close to him.

"No," Rome said quietly. "I don't wanna stay with him, he got bad habits."

Tej looked at Rome for a second, surprised he really said that. Brian was one of the easiest people to live with Tej had ever known, always glad to put everyone else ahead of himself. Tej let out a little huff of a laugh after a moment and looked at Brian, suddenly thinking Rome being there might not change things after all. "Alright baby, whatever." Rome gave Brian a stone-face flat stare then, obviously annoyed, but Tej pretended not to notice. "Show him around real quick, alright? I'll be out in a minute."

"Thanks," Brian said with smile, his blue eyes warm and grateful.

Tej nodded and stepped closer as he reached for Brian's shoulder, giving it a squeeze as he smiled and murmured, "Anytime, baby boy." He bent to grab the megaphone he'd set down near his feet and then looked at Brian again, adding more firmly, "Later we gotta talk about you fuckin' _disappearing_ on me, though." He knew it was Rick's fault, whatever happened, but still. Brian could have called at some point to let Tej know he was really okay.

"I know," Brian agreed quickly, obviously sheepish. "I didn't have a choice. Sorry."

Tej snorted. "You're gonna be when I get done with you," he said firmly, pretending not to notice Brian's soft little laugh as he walked away, lifting the megaphone as he went back to working the crowd. There was still one race left he had to handle, then he could find Brian again and figure out what the Hell was going on.

Tej dropped back into his chair after he got the next race going, watching the jet skis speed out of sight off down the river, and then Suki was leaning close and reaching for his hand. Tej tangled their fingers together, looking at her as Suki asked, "What is _Rome_ doing here? I thought he _hated_ Brian."

"You and me both, baby girl," Tej replied quietly, frowning slightly. "Brian tried to see the guy on the way here from Cali when I called him out, went to visit him _in prison_ even though it scared him shitless, and Rome wouldn't even _talk_ to him. I got no clue what the fuck could suddenly turn him into Brian's shadow again now. They haven't said a word in six years." He paused slightly, then added, "As pissed as Rome looks, though, I'm bettin' he didn't want to come here. Gotta be something Rick did. Rome grew up practically living with them, Rick's kinda like a dad to him, too."

Suki frowned, worried and upset as she murmured, "What did Rick get them into?"

"No telling until Brian starts talking," Tej replied. He heard the jet skis returning for the first lap and started calling the race again, but his mind wasn't really on it. He had hoped getting Brian back would be the end of it, but now he was pretty sure the trouble was just starting.

Ten minutes later Tej was walking out front with Suki, both of them still worried. Jimmy was standing with Brian and Rome by a purple and silver Eclipse Spyder saying something about all the computer systems being linked into the GPS system, and Tej frowned.

"Baby, tell me something," Tej said firmly. "Do I even want to know where the Skyline is, where you been the last couple days?" Brian tried to smile, giving a tiny shake of his head, and Tej looked away into the Spyder's hood. "Or where the _Hell_ you got these rides from?"

Brian didn't say anything immediately and Suki leaned to look into the Spyder's hood, murmuring, "They're _hot_."

"Yeah, they're hot," Jimmy agreed, sounding a little annoyed. Tej looked up at him and Jimmy looked at Brian as he added pointedly, "They're wired so hot whoever's tracking these things is gonna know it every time you don't wear your _seatbelt_ , kid."

Brian looked serious and a little worried at that, blue eyes troubled as he said quietly, "Alright, Jimmy. You just do what you can do, bro."

"I got you," Jimmy said firmly, giving Brian a slight nod. "I'll get Kali to look, see what we can figure out. Maybe she can disable it somehow through the computer system."

"Thanks, man," Brian murmured, then looked at Tej. "We gotta go."

Tej stared at him. "What the _fuck_ , Brian?! You just _got here_!"

"I know, I'm sorry, but I _gotta go_ ," Brian said quickly, obviously upset. "I wasn't supposed to stop here. We're late, we're supposed to be across town. I'll be back soon, I _promise_."

"You damn sure better be, Brian," Tej said firmly, reaching into his pocket for Brian's phone to offer it to him. "And _use this_ if you need me."

Brian moved closer, looking unhappy and upset still as he took the phone and said softly, "I'm _sorry_ , Tej, really. I haven't got a _choice_. Shit's getting deep, I'm just trying to keep from getting buried in it."

"Go," Tej agreed quietly, "but I want _details_ soon, you hear me? Let me _help you_ with whatever it is."

"Everything," Brian agreed softly, grabbing Tej's hand for a moment. "As soon as I can." He gave Tej's hand a squeeze and then let go as he turned and hurried away towards the Evo, Rome scowling at Tej before he followed. Brian said something that made Rome stalk away into the wash bay, and then Brian was closing the hood on the Evo quickly and pulling out of the lot while Rome crossed the street.

Suki murmured gently, "At least we know he's okay, baby."

"Okay, but scared and in trouble," Tej replied, watching as Rome snuck up to a Cadillac across the street to talk to two guys who looked like hired muscle to Tej. Rome was all smiles as he sprayed down their windshield with one of the alcohol bottles out of the wash bay, then he suddenly set fire to the alcohol and ran to jump in the Evo just before Brian sped away. The two goons were obviously pissed off, cussing loudly in Spanish, but they didn't follow.

Tej looked back towards the Spyder, looking into the hood and trying hard not to think about anything but what he was seeing. After a moment he realized the car had pretty much _every_ possible upgrade, and he looked at Jimmy. "We gotta get this thing on the street _asap_."

"With the Skyline out of the picture, there's nothing that can beat her except Brian's Mustang," Jimmy agreed, "and that race might be close if the Spyder's driver was good enough." He paused, then added quietly, "Rome said something about someone named Markham and an impound lot, talking to Brian. And Brian's packing, Tej."

Tej looked at Jimmy, frowning. "You're sure?"

"I put my hand on the gun when I hugged him, saying hello," Jimmy replied, looking worried. "He didn't react, but he has to know I felt it tucked in the back of his shorts. Pretty sure Rome had one too, his shirt was hanging funny in back."

"Shit," Tej murmured, frowning. He looked back down into the Spyder's hood, then looked at Jimmy again and murmured, "Get started on this thing, like he said. No telling when he's gonna need it ready to roll. I gotta get back to the barge." He made a face, a little annoyed as he added, "We got _guests_."

"At least they'll distract you, baby," Suki murmured, grabbing Tej's hand to lace their fingers together.

Tej gave her hand a squeeze. "Not sure that's possible, darlin'." He started towards the back of the garage again, tugging her along with him. "I'll send Kali out here, Jimmy."

"Thanks, bro," Jimmy said quickly, then leaned into the Spyder's hood.

Tej continued back to the party barge, talking to people who said something to him completely on autopilot. All he could really think about was Brian in trouble and scared enough he was walking around with a gun. Brian owned a couple of handguns and a shotgun but he kept them locked up in the Mustang, there only for emergencies when Brian absolutely _had_ to fight to stay alive or to protect someone he loved.

That Brian was carrying a gun now meant he felt like he was fighting just to survive.

 

~*~*~

 

Tej's phone began to play Brian's ringtone about an hour after Brian disappeared again, and Tej jumped up to limp quickly into the garage, hurrying away from the crowd as the music played. It was one of Brian's favorite songs back when they met and it always made him think of Brian as he was then, young and beautiful without nothing that mattered to him except Tej and fast cars.

_'When I get high, I get high on speed, top fuel funny car's a drug for me. My heart, my heart, kickstart my heart!'_

Tej answered then and didn't even get a chance to say anything before Brian said, "Hey."

"Hey yourself," Tej replied, a little amused despite his worry. "Whatcha need, baby boy?"

"I gotta do something, part of that thing that made me disappear a couple days," Brian said, sounding serious. "Bilkins is involved."

"Oh fuck that, Brian!" Tej exclaimed, annoyed and scared by the _idea_ of Brian getting mixed up with the Feds again. It explained _everything_ , but it was the very last thing Tej wanted to hear. " _That's_ why they hunted you down the other night?!"

"Yeah, pretty much," Brian agreed quietly.

"Fuck!" Tej saw several people staring at him and stalked quickly towards the office, ignoring the stab of pain in his knee at every step.

"It's not as bad this time," Brian said soothingly, and Tej could hear Rome snort in the background. "I don't have to really go _under_ for this one. Not like before."

"Damn straight you don't," Tej growled, closing the office door behind him and starting to pace despite the pain in his knee. "Ain't no _fuckin'_ way, Brian. I will haul your ass off to _Belize_ first, you hear me?"

"Yeah, baby, I hear you," Brian agreed quietly, soft and fond.

Tej let out a soft little grunt and stopped pacing, taking a moment to just breathe deep and get himself under control again. Getting pissed off and freaking out wouldn't help any right now. Brian was in deep shit and he needed to hold it together to get Brian out of it in one piece. Rick _obviously_ wasn't going to help with that, dragging Brian back into the fire like he had done. It made Tej wish Rick was there in front of him so he could take a little of his anger and fear out of Rick's hide.

When Tej was sure he had himself under control he said more calmly, "Okay then, we gotta get you through this. Talk to me, baby boy. How can I help? What's that damn fool got you doing?"

"I gotta make a run with Rome for him, deliver some dirty money so they can catch somebody in the act," Brian replied immediately.

"Brian!" Rome exclaimed in the background. "What happened to keepin' our business between _us_?!"

Brian went on like Rome hadn't spoken, which made Tej smile slightly. "These cars he gave us though, they're not gonna cut it, Tej, not wired up like this."

"Naw, you gotta have somethin' clean," Tej agreed immediately, his mind racing. Kali had already told him that disabling the GPS in the Spyder was impossible without ripping out most of the computer systems. It was locked up so tight she couldn't even _look at_ the current programming without setting off alarms, much less change anything. "Jimmy can't do a damn thing about the trackers, not without rebuilding the whole damn car, and if I gotta get you out, I don't want that ass Bilkins knowin' where."

"Exactly," Brian said. "Exit strategy."

"For sure," Tej agreed, nodding even though Brian couldn't see him. "I can swing it, baby, don't worry. I got you."

"Thanks, Tej. I owe you one," Brian said quickly, his tone going gentle and warm.

"You just leave your door open for me tonight," Tej said teasingly, glad that Brian was relaxing a little. If he was dealing with Bilkins, the last thing he needed was to be too freaked out to think. "We'll call it even."

Brian sounded pleased as he replied quietly, "Sounds like I'm winning either way there."

"I do like to keep my baby boy happy," Tej replied, smirking. He had missed Brian and was looking forward to letting Brian know just how much, but he tried to drag his mind back to business. "I'll have something set up by tonight, race for pinks. How fast are we needing?"

"Fast as we can get is always good, but I think we need something with some muscle, too," Brian replied, his tone going a little firmer. "Detroit steel would be nice, no telling what we'll have to go through."

"I got just the guys, baby," Tej said smugly, thinking about a guy who owed him money on an engine upgrade. Darden's check bounced and the guy had been avoiding Tej ever since, going to his buddy Korpi's garage in Little Havana instead. Darden's Challenger was choice, though, and Jimmy had already been under her hood so he knew her like the back of his hand. Getting her up to Brian's speed wouldn't take him long at all, and the Camaro his buddy Korpi drove was at least as nice. "Real pricks, drive a blue Yenko Camaro and an orange Challenger. If anyone deserves to walk home, it's them."

"Yeah, I know 'em," Brian said, sounding amused and pleased. "They're perfect."

"Consider it done, baby," Tej said confidently. "You gonna need anything else?"

"Probably, but not right this second," Brian said seriously, sounding a little worried again. "I might have to ask you to call in some favors for me later. I don't know."

"If you do, I'll make it happen," Tej said firmly. "I got you, baby, you _know_ that."

Tej heard Brian take a slow deep breath and let it out, and when he spoke again he sounded much better. "Yeah, I do. Thanks."

"Anytime. You know I'm gonna take care of my Twinkie," Tej said teasingly.

"Yeah, I do," Brian agreed, sounding fond and amused. "See you soon, Swiss Roll."

Tej laughed. "You know where to find me, baby."

Tej hung up and just stood there a few moments, then turned to his desk to flip open the laptop and find Korpi's number. Setting up the race would keep his mind off worrying about Brian, at least for a few minutes.

 

~*~*~

 

Tej tried to stay busy the rest of the day, working on a few cars and then taking Suki out to dinner. She wanted to eat at the Benihana out near North Beach, which he didn't mind at all, and they ended up lingering over the meal, talking as he finally managed to relax a little. He was running out of energy, bone tired, but he had a lot left to handle yet that night so he drank a couple of glasses of Mountain Dew with his dinner just for the caffeine and sugar.

Brian was waiting in the garage at their table with Jimmy when they got back, looking much more relaxed despite the faint dark circles under his eyes. He had changed into one of his uniform shirts for the garage and was looking almost like he was back to normal, smiling wide and happy when he saw Tej and Suki. "Hey."

"Hey baby," Suki said happily, walking over to kiss him lightly and then sitting down in her usual chair across from Tej's spot. "You look like you're feeling better."

"Yeah, I'm good," Brian agreed, smiling at Suki and then looking at Tej. "How about you?"

Tej moved close to Brian, doing something he usually avoided in front of Suki and reaching out to take Brian's face between his hands as he ducked to kiss Brian hard, putting enough love and desire into the kiss that it drew a low needy noise from Brian after a few moments. Brian arched up towards him, one hand lifting to grab Tej's shirt and hold on as he kissed back, so eager and willing it made Tej wish he could take Brian to bed right then.

Tej finally pulled away after a few minutes, licking his lips as he stared into Brian's eyes, enjoying the heat and love so plain in them as he murmured, " _Now_ I'm okay."

"Yeah," Brian replied with a soft little smile, finally letting go of him. "Same."

Tej smiled and moved to drop into his chair, asking, "Where's Rome?"

"He went up to change," Brian replied. "It was a long-assed day, we both needed to clean up a little."

"I'm back," Rome said, sounding pissed and making them all look towards him. He stalked up to the table dressed very different than he was earlier in the day, looking almost like a teenager in baggy jeans and an oversized white shirt that neatly hid all his muscles, a bandana on his head and a hat over it. The only thing that spoiled the look was the way he was glaring at Tej and then at Brian as he said pointedly, "I thought we had a _race_ to get to, _Brian_?"

Brian snorted, looking amused for some reason as he said easily, "We got most of an hour yet, Rome. Chill."

"We got that club to get to after, brah," Rome said pointedly. "We supposed to be there by midnight. We need to get the damn race over with."

"We're meeting them at eleven," Tej said then, making Rome give him a hard look. "We can make it there in ten minutes if we gotta."

Brian smiled at Tej. "We got someone closing the road, or are we setting that up?"

"We are," Tej replied, smiling at Brian. "Won't take but a minute, just need to put out the barrels for the turn and a couple signs."

"Might as well go then," Brian said, still smiling. "Once we get set up we can relax there as easy as here."

"Got a point." Tej looked at Jimmy. "Is the stuff in the truck?"

"Yep," Jimmy replied, amused as he stood up and started towards the lot. "I'm driving it."

"We'll ride with Bri," Tej agreed, standing up too.

Rome turned away without a word, stalking off towards the Spyder.

"You're in front, Tej," Brian said as he stood to walk towards the Evo that was parked nearby. "And don't argue with me, you were limping when you came in."

"Yeah, yeah," Tej muttered, moving to follow Brian and trying harder not to limp. His knee was killing him, but Brian didn't need to be worrying about it.

Suki giggled and followed them as she said cheerfully, "I'm glad he listens to _you_ , Brian."

"He knows I won't give him a choice," Brian replied with a laugh as he opened the driver's door of the Evo. "I can pick him up and _make_ him if I gotta."

"You start that shit and I am telling _everyone_ about the ring pops," Tej threatened.

Brian had been handed a weird looking white ring pop at a rave one time by Riley's girl of the moment and then spent a week hunting her down to find out where he could get more of them. He never did tell Tej where he finally found them, but he had one in his mouth half the time for _weeks_ afterwards before Tej finally tried one and recognized the salty, slightly bitter flavor. He gave Brian fits about it afterwards, teasing him mercilessly, but it didn't stop Brian from buying them again right up until the night Brian ended up in Tej's bed. Brian never bought another ring pop after that, and when Tej mentioned them it had usually ended up with Tej's pants around his knees while Brian sucked him off like it was his favorite thing in the world to do.

Brian laughed, blushing as he got in the Evo. "Just get in the damn car."

Tej snickered, walking around to the passenger side and getting in. Suki was already in the back, scooted forward between the front seats and grinning as she said, " _I_ want to hear about the ring pops if they make Bri blush like that."

Brian laughed again, blushing even redder as he started up the Evo. "Tej, don't you _dare_ , or I'll tell her about the beads."

Tej laughed, feeling his face heating up. He had been the one who went in a sex toy shop one day looking for flavored lube and bought the beads because the guy at the counter said they'd rock his world. Brian didn't like them at all, but Tej had liked them a little too much. The beads had been _embarrassing_ , even though he loved it at the time, and they only played with them a few times before Tej threw them away. Brian went back to making Tej lose his mind without any toys and Tej had been glad to forget about them, or try to anyway. Coming so hard you blacked out wasn't the kind of thing you ever really _forgot_ , especially after it happened _twice_.

"Why don't we _both_ shut up?" Tej suggested.

"Great idea," Brian agreed, grinning despite how red-faced he was as he backed out of the main bay to follow Jimmy, who was just pulling out of the lot.

Suki pouted. "But I want to _know_!"

Tej laughed softly, still embarrassed as he said, "Sorry baby girl, but no. Remember that deal we made about finding out that kind of stuff together?"

"Yeah, I do," Suki murmured, smiling suddenly. "Promise?"

"Promise," Tej agreed, hoping she'd forget.

Twenty minutes later, they were parked at the line and the road was closed for the race, a long straight stretch that seldom saw any traffic at all at night. The five of them were standing near the Spyder by the line and Tej was starting to think Rome was more trouble than he could possibly be worth. Rome was acting almost bipolar, pissed and amused by turns with little rhyme or reason to it from what Tej could tell, but Brian was acting like Rome was fine so Tej was trying to ignore him for Brian's sake. Rome was sticking close to Brian and obviously very protective of Brian despite his mood swings, and with Brian in trouble Tej figured he might actually _need_ a perpetually pissed-off bodyguard.

Tej pulled Brian aside while they waited for Darden and Korpi, leaving Rome talking to Jimmy and Suki about changes he wanted to make to the Spyder. As soon as they were out of Rome's line of sight past the cars and the pickup Brian moved in close, pulling Tej into a slow loving kiss that made Tej purr softly, both of them relaxing as tension they had barely noticed began draining away.

Brian gave Tej a sheepish little smile when he finally pulled away, murmuring, "I wanted to do that as soon as I saw you at the river this afternoon."

"Why didn't you, baby?" Tej asked softly.

"Didn't want to listen to Rome bitch," Brian admitted, still sheepish. "I could tell by how he looked at you that he's jealous, but he's tryin' to play like he don't care. I needed him thinking today, not even more pissed off. He's already stressed out just 'cause he's gotta be around me."

Tej sighed. "How did you end up with him following you around anyway? I thought he hated you, baby boy."

"He doesn't, I just thought he did," Brian replied very softly. "It's a long story. We weren't on the same page in juvie, but he never told me. He was as messed up after as I was, maybe more, just in different ways." He paused slightly, then murmured, "I'll tell you everything later, I promise. After the run we got that damn club to get to, but then we're done for the night as far as I know."

"I'll be waiting," Tej murmured, lifting his hand to Brian's cheek and enjoying the way Brian leaned into his touch. "I haven't really slept since you left. Suki wouldn't leave me alone with me freaking out so bad, but it didn't help any. We been sleeping on your bed, or trying to." He snorted softly. "She slept fine, out like a light as soon as she laid down, but I was awake until dawn."

"I haven't really slept either," Brian admitted softly. "I was too freaked out after Customs grabbed me and dragged me into this mess, and then last night I had to share a room with Rome. We ended up watching TV all night, but we didn't talk hardly at all and with him across the room all freaked out there was no way I was sleeping. I dozed some on the plane back home this morning, but not much."

Tej pulled Brian's head down to kiss him, slow and loving, then murmured to him, "Tonight I'm gonna remind you how much I love you, baby boy, and then we're both gonna _really_ sleep."

"Sounds great," Brian agreed softly, smiling as he kissed Tej again.

Tej heard the distant rumble of big engines approaching after a few minutes and they pulled apart, just smiling at each other a moment until Rome called, "Brian, talk to your little _boyfriend_ later, it's time to _race_!"

"Whatever," Brian called back, then kissed Tej quickly once more before he murmured with a little smirk, "Looking forward to my prize later."

Tej grinned, dark eyes sparkling. "Me too, baby boy." Brian always wanted the same prize when he won a race, and Tej was glad to give it to him. It always felt like they both won.

Brian smirked at him a moment longer and then moved away around the truck to go join the others, and Tej followed him. "You know we gotta win, Rome," Brian said teasingly then, making Tej smirk. "Don't fuck around."

"Please, boy," Rome said scathingly, "I taught you everything you know. We got this."

Brian laughed, stopping next to Rome as he said with a little smirk, "No, you taught me everything _you_ know."

Rome gave Brian a dirty look and Tej snickered, moving to stand near Jimmy as he said easily, "You got this, baby. They're both all engine, no brains."

"Yeah, we beat 'em once already, racing for our spots with that guy we gotta do the run for," Brian agreed, grinning wider. Tej looked at him, surprised, and Brian added, "That's why I said they're perfect. The cars are hot, tons of power, but the drivers are crap. All they know is putting their foot on the gas and talking shit."

The cars rumbled up then and they settled down to business. By the time Darden was halfway down the course, Tej was pretty sure that the Mitsubishis were lost. Rome wasn't half the driver Brian was, though he did make the turn neatly enough to keep from losing time there. Darden sent a sign sailing out in front of Rome about halfway back, and Tej shook his head at how Rome dodged it and nearly lost control instead of just letting the car hit it aside.

Darden crossed the line and Korpi was gone, and Brian was just taking off when Korpi made the turn at the far end of the line. Tej looked at Suki, murmuring softly, "I don't know."

"Bri can do it," Jimmy said quietly, "if he gets lucky."

Tej realized then that Brian was playing chicken with Korpi, and he muttered, "Damn."

It looked like they were going to crash head on, but at the very last possible second Korpi dodged sideways and spun out as his Camaro's engine died. Brian flew past and then made the turn a moment later, sliding around it without even downshifting, and then he was flying back towards them as Korpi was just starting his car.

Rome hurried up to the others then, watching Brian as he said, "Come _on_ , baby, bring it home! You _got_ this!"

Tej looked at Rome, surprised, then back at the race in time to see Brian hit the Nos, catching up to Korpi. They battled it out the rest of the way, the cars side by side right up until the end, when Brian edged ahead to take it by barely two feet.

"Yeah!" Rome yelled. He moved to bump fists with Jimmy and crowed cheerfully, "You see that, brah, that's all my fault!"

Jimmy bumped fists with him, laughing, and then Rome did the same with Tej, grinning wide and happy. He looked like a different person without all the anger in his eyes, and Tej wondered suddenly just what it was Rome was so mad about, and what he was like when he _wasn't_ mad. Brian _had_ grown up with him, and he loved Rome enough that Tej finally realized there had to be a lot more to him than a short temper and an attitude.

"That's my _boy_!" Rome said, practically bouncing across the street like he just couldn't hold still, grinning wide as he turned back to look at Darden and said cheerfully, "Y'all ain't _ready,_ homeboy. Get to walkin', Fabio."

Darden glared at him. "If it was just you and me, my girl would be driving that Spyder home."

"Yeah maybe, but it ain't just me," Rome said quickly, smirking. "Can't _nobody_ beat my boy, I taught him too good." He walked right up to Darden and held out his hand, smirking wider. "Keys, Fabio."

Darden scowled and muttered, "They're in it."

Rome laughed and then grinned at Darden, wide and smug. "And my pink slip?"

"Glove box," Darden growled angrily.

Brian backed the Evo up to the line then, grinning. He got out, looking towards Korpi, who pulled up next to him and then got out, walking over to hand Brian the keys. "I'll have to bring you the title. I keep it in the garage."

"You know where to find us," Brian said easily, accepting the keys. "You can bring it by."

"Yeah, okay," Korpi said, walking away towards his girlfriend with a pained expression.

Tej started towards the Evo, smirking at Darden as he said cheerfully, "You can forget about that bounced check you owed me for now, Darden. We're even."

Korpi shot Darden a dirty look, surprised. "You stiffed _Tej Parker_?!"

Darden ignored Korpi, angry as he glared at Tej. "Fuck you, Parker. Fuckin' _faggot_."

Rome got up in Darden's face suddenly then. "What the fuck did you say?"

"Everyone knows he's fuckin' _your boy_ ," Darden replied, glaring down at Rome. "Hell, probably _all_ of you are down at the garage, the way people treat the bitch."

"Oh _Hell_ no." Rome punched Darden hard in the jaw, knocking him on his ass, and then he moved to loom over Darden, scowling down at him and flexing his fists as he said, "Lemme make one thing _perfectly_ clear to you, homeboy. Ain't _nobody_ gonna talk shit about my friends, _especially_ Brian, or I'm gonna do a _lot_ worse than knock you on your ass in front of your girl." Darden stared up at him, rubbing his jaw and looking a little dazed. "You feel me?"

"Yeah, I feel you," Darden muttered sullenly, looking away.

"Glad we understand each other," Rome said quickly, turning away. He looked at Korpi. "You got anything to add, Fonzie?"

"No, man. I got beat fair," Korpi said quietly. "Bullitt's the better driver."

"He damn sure is," Rome said, surprised but pleased. "Better than all of us put together." He was grinning again just that quick, walking past Brian towards the Spyder as he asked cheerfully, "Who's drivin' my new Challenger home for me?"

"I'll get her," Suki said quickly, hurrying off towards the Challenger.

"Thank you, Suki darlin'," Rome said easily. "Let's get this show on the road, we got places to be."

Tej looked at Brian, smiling. "Nice to know you got a bodyguard."

Brian grinned at him. "Rome was being _nice_. Darden's lucky he's in such a good mood." He walked away towards the Camaro. "He damn near killed the last guy that called me a bitch in front of him."

Tej laughed and got in the Evo, surprised but pleased. A few moments later they were pulling out and Tej took the lead with Brian right behind him in the Camaro, Rome to Brian's left in the Spyder, and Suki following the Spyder in the Challenger with Jimmy bringing up the rear in the truck. Jimmy would circle around and pick up the signs and barrels, but the others would stick with Tej back to the garage, he was sure.

Tej looked back at Brian in the rear view mirror, smiling at how pleased Brian looked, then suddenly Rome gunned the Spyder to pass the Evo. Tej didn't even stop to think, flooring the gas and laughing at the way the Evo leaped forward. Rome gave him a surprised look as he passed him again, and Tej stuck his arm out the window, flipping him off. He shifted, pushing the Evo harder, and then Brian was zipping between the Evo and the Spyder, getting in front of Rome.

Tej went to shift again just after the Evo hit one-ten, letting off on the gas to work the clutch and then letting out a pained noise as his bad knee spasmed. He had to let off on the gas even more and Brian suddenly pulled even with him, looking surprised. He managed to grin as he looked over at Brian, and Brian's concerned expression turned into a relieved grin instantly. Brian stayed next to him the rest of the way back to the garage, coasting with him, and Tej fought to keep his grin as he shifted his bad leg over and drove with the other foot. The last thing Brian needed was to be worrying about him.

Tej parked the Evo in front of the garage and opened the door, but his leg still didn't want to work and he sighed. Brian was quick to jump out and move around the Camaro towards the Evo, grinning. "That was great!"

"It was," Tej agreed, pushing his door all the way open with a wry little smile. He held out his hand to Brian, adding, "Now give me a hand, baby."

Brian moved quickly to grab Tej's hand, pulling him up out of the car easily to lean against Brian's chest as Brian asked softly, "You okay?"

Tej leaned his left side against Brian, appreciating Brian's strength as he carefully flexed his bad leg a few times, fighting not to let the stabs of pain caused each time show on his face. He wasn't gonna be walking on it, not in the next few minutes anyway, but he didn't want Brian to realize that. He wasn't sure how to hide it as he finally looked up at Brian and admitted sheepishly, "I shoulda behaved myself. Damn leg locked up on me about the time we broke a hundred."

"I wondered why you started coasting then," Brian said softly, still holding Tej's left hand between them with his other hand on Tej's waist, keeping him close. "You need me to help you get inside?"

"I got him, Bullitt," Suki said softly, moving to Tej's right side and then pulling him towards her to drape his right arm over her shoulders. "You gotta go get pretty, you got that club to get to."

"Damn! Yeah, we do," Brian agreed, looking surprised and a little unhappy. "Thanks, Suki." He looked at Tej again, concerned. "You good?"

Tej shifted to lean more against Suki, grateful she was strong enough to hold his weight and smiling at Brian. "Yeah, we good, baby boy. I'll get Jimmy to pull your new muscle inside when he looks them over, see what we gotta do."

"The Camaro's loose in front, for sure," Brian agreed as he stepped back. "The engine's not tuned right either, she's got a vibration I don't like, holds her back. It's all fixable though."

"Challenger needs tuned up too, maybe more," Rome said, making them all look at him as he stopped nearby. He was stone-faced again, giving Tej a hard look. "It's running a little hotter than it oughta be and either the headers or the pipes are loose, I could hear them rattle after it hit ninety."

"Jimmy'll fix it," Tej said confidently, smiling at Rome. He wanted to accept Rome for Brian's sake, but Rome was obviously not feeling the same way. If Tej didn't know the guy had been avoiding Brian like the plague for years, he would've been sure he was a jealous lover. Every time someone touched Brian, Rome's eyes would go all pissed off and he'd watch like a hawk until Brian got away from them.

"Yeah, there's nothing to worry about," Brian agreed, moving to reach for Rome's shoulder. "C'mon, Suki was right, we gotta go get pretty, get to the Pearl."

Rome nodded, letting Brian push him towards the garage.

Tej and Suki watched them go, waiting until they were both out of sight before Suki murmured softly, "Your leg's not working at all, is it, baby?"

"Not enough to hold me," Tej admitted quietly, looking at her. "You think you can get me inside?"

Suki smiled. "I got you, baby." She kissed him softly and then murmured, "Come on, we better get moving. You don't want Brian to see."

"Not really, no," Tej agreed quietly. "Thank you, darlin'. He doesn't need me to worry about on top of all the other shit."

"I get it, baby," Suki murmured, starting him moving.

Tej hated having to lean on her so hard, but he was glad he _could_ as they made their slow painful way into the garage. When he finally fell into his chair he just closed his eyes a few moments, breathing and waiting for the pain in his knee to recede a little. He was surprised to realize he was alone when he opened his eyes again, frowning until he saw Suki hurry out of the office with a pill bottle and a hard lemonade.

Suki walked quickly towards him, looking worried and upset as she said softly, "Baby, take one, please."

"I will, but not with alcohol, baby girl," Tej replied, accepting the pills and then opening the bottle to get one out. "Both of 'em together will mess me up too much, tired as I am." He knew he didn't have to explain that he wouldn't feel safe really relaxing until Brian was back with him for the night.

"Red Bull?" Suki asked quietly.

"That'd be great, darlin'," Tej agreed, offering the pill bottle back to her with a grateful little smile.

Suki smiled and leaned down to kiss him, then hurried off towards the office again.

 

~*~*~

 

Tej pretended not to see Rome watching as he led Brian into the houseboat later that night, limping only a little as he pulled Brian towards the bed and then turned to face him. Hydrocodone did wonders for his ability to ignore pain.

Brian moved in close without a word, pulling Tej into his arms to kiss him slow and sweet before he murmured, "I'm sorry about all this shit. I'd have kept you out of it if I could."

Tej snorted. "If you tried I'd kick your ass, baby. Your problems are _my_ problems." He reached for Brian, pulling him down into another kiss, then murmured with a little smile, "Even if that problem is a _really_ jealous ex."

Brian laughed softly. "He says he's not jealous, but he totally is."

"Dude is _green_ ," Tej agreed, amused. "What's the deal there? Why did he ever dump you if he still wanted you so bad? Makes no sense."

"He thought he was doing it for me," Brian replied with a tiny wry little smile. "He got it in his head I was all over him in juvie _only_ because I was scared of gettin' passed around again. When we got out and I still wanted him, he freaked." He hesitated, then added, "He has a _lot_ of guilt stored up over ever fuckin' me at all. He thought of me as his _baby brother_ when we went in and feels like he took advantage of me. I tried telling him I was in love with him then but he doesn't really believe it, he thinks I'm just trying to make him feel better or something, I dunno. He says I don't know the difference between loving someone and being in love."

"Damn," Tej murmured, surprised. "Well, that explains why he looks like he's on the edge of losin' it half the time. He really is."

"Yeah, pretty much," Brian agreed quietly. "I don't think he even _knows_ what he wants right now, how he wants all this to work out. Sometimes I catch that look that used to be in his eyes back in juvie when I thought we were on the same page and gonna be together forever, but then it's like it pisses him off that he still cares. I think he's still trying to convince himself he doesn't need or even _want_ anyone in his life, especially me."

"How do _you_ want it to end up, baby boy?" Tej asked softly.

Brian hesitated, then admitted, "Me getting back with Rome could be good for us all. You and Suki deserve better than waitin' around on me to get better, and Rome, he'd take care of me if he decided to go for it."

"Do you still love him, baby?" Tej asked gently.

"I never have been too smart about that," Brian admitted. "Not like it was, not anymore, but yeah. I still look at him and see that guy I dreamed about for over a year before he ever kissed me the first time."

"Then you gotta talk to him, baby," Tej said softly. "If it's what you want, you _gotta_ try. A blind man can see he's still hung up on you."

Brian hesitated a moment, then asked quietly, "What about you? What do you want?"

"I just want you happy and safe," Tej murmured, trying not to think about the part of his own heart that was turning pretty green at the idea of Brian getting back with Rome. "As long as you let me see you happy, _I'll_ be happy." And if he saw for himself that Brian was truly happy and safe, he thought he could deal. He'd miss having Brian in his bed, miss kissing him and knowing he could make Brian forget _everything_ but how much Tej loved and wanted him, but he had been sincere when he told Brian he'd do whatever it took to make him happy. "What you need has _always_ been most important to me, baby boy, you know that."

"I know," Brian agreed with a soft smile, stepping closer as he leaned down to kiss Tej again, then murmured, "He'll likely piss you off, he's an ass when he's off-balance like he is now, but he won't ever really _hurt_ me. Just let me handle him, okay?"

"Alright, baby boy," Tej replied. "I won't watch him hit you or anything, but words and shit, I'll stay out of it."

"Thanks, babe," Brian whispered, then kissed him again.

Tej responded lovingly and soon they were pressed close together again, hands roaming as they kissed. When Brian pulled back to tug Tej's t-shirt up and off, Tej immediately reached for Brian's shirt, and he was surprised when Brian grabbed his hands as he said softly, "Remember, you're gonna let _me_ handle him."

Tej frowned and let go of Brian's shirt. "Baby, what did he do to you?"

Brian met his gaze a moment longer and then sighed. "When Customs dragged me in, they were talking about sending me undercover with one of their guys, but he was an _idiot_ so Bilkins backed me picking my own partner, as long as it wasn't Dom. The only one I could think of hard enough to handle Verone's shit - and he plays _rough_ , Tej, I won't have you or any of our friends here in this - was Rome. He can stick to me like glue in a car and he's hell on wheels in a fight and not afraid of shit that makes _me_ terrified. We flew to Barstow to get him, and when we found him he still didn't even want to talk to me, so I pushed him hard and we tangled. I'm fine, but it _looks_ bad."

Tej scowled, tugging on Brian's shirt again as he said firmly, "Off. Now." Brian sighed and let Tej pull the shirt up and off without protest, and when Tej saw the ugly bruises all over Brian's ribs, he saw red for a moment. He closed his eyes, so angry he was shaking as he growled, "I'm gonna kill him."

"No, _I_ will handle him," Brian said quickly, reaching for Tej's face. Tej opened his eyes to see Brian looking at him worriedly as he added, "I'm _fine_ , I promise. Most of it doesn't even hurt."

Tej stared at Brian, then asked quietly, "Did he break your fuckin' ribs _again_ , baby boy?"

Brian shook his head quickly. "Nothing's broken, not even cracked. Nothing _new_ , anyway. The ribs that never healed after Chino are still screwed, but _Rome_ didn't do that and I mostly kept him from hitting there." He turned slightly, letting Tej see towards the back of his left side as proof. There were a lot fewer bruises there, and the few that were there were much paler than the ones on Brian's other side. "I was careful, I promise. I thought kicking my ass for whatever it was I did to make him hate me might help, but when I figured out that was just making him more upset, I got him to stop."

Tej swallowed hard, pained as he asked softly, "And what happens next time you think hitting you will make him feel better?"

"It won't," Brian said quietly. "I know that now. He doesn't _want_ to hurt me, I just pushed him too hard and hit his buttons on purpose. It was _my fault_ , not his."

Tej just looked into Brian's eyes for a minute or so before he finally murmured, "If he beats you up again, it's _over_ with him, you hear me?"

"There's nothing to even _end_ yet," Brian said softly.

"I know you heard me," Tej said firmly. "Promise me, Brian."

Brian stared into Tej's eyes for a moment and then nodded. "I promise if he really hurts me, I'll end it."

Tej relaxed a little and reached out to rest his hands on Brian's chest, stepping a little closer. He still didn't like it, still wanted to beat Rome down _hard_ , but one, he was pretty sure he _couldn't_ , and two, it would hurt Brian, and hurting Brian was the very last thing he ever wanted to do. "Okay, baby. I'll stay out of it."

Brian smiled. "Thank you." He stepped closer to kiss Tej again, wrapping his arms around Tej to hold him close.

Tej slid his hands up around Brian's neck, tangling one hand into Brian's hair as he held onto his neck with the other hand, keeping his head down where Tej could kiss him thoroughly without having to stretch for it. It didn't take them long to forget about Rome, and the job, and even the bruises on Brian's ribs.

They were so absorbed in each other by the time they fell on the bed together a little while later, they wouldn't have noticed a hurricane.

 

~*~*~

 

Starting the day by having Rome and some woman he didn't even _want_ to know see him naked and then having a gun pointed at him while some rent-a-thug threatened to kill him was _not_ Tej's idea of a good morning.

Brian's little possessive caveman act had kind of backfired, making Tej a target, but Tej had still enjoyed it more than he felt like he should have, mostly because it pissed Rome off. Tej wasn't sure he'd make it out of the boat without getting decked for a moment because of it, or maybe because Tej sort of rubbed Rome's nose in the fact Brian had fucked him the night before, but either way Rome had surprised him by backing down and letting him go. He couldn't resist tweaking Rome's tail a little more on the way out, pointing out Rome could be the one in Brian's bed if he wanted to be. If it was what Brian wanted to happen, then Tej was going to help if he could and he figured making Rome think about sex with Brian couldn't do anything but encourage him. Brian was _amazing_ in bed, sweet and beautiful and _always_ willing and eager for whatever his partner wanted to do.

Jimmy and Kali wouldn't be up yet for hours, Kali had no school on a Saturday and Jimmy never got up early if he could avoid it, but Tej was surprised to find Suki sitting at their table with a drawing pad and a tall Starbucks cup. A glance at the clock told him it wasn't even eight yet, and he wondered suddenly if she had ever gone home the night before. She had changed clothes and her hair was freshly washed, still a little damp, but Tej knew she kept enough of her things in her trunk to live out of it for days when she wanted to.

Suki looked up when he walked up to her, surprised but pleased. "Hey baby. I didn't think you'd be up so early."

"We had visitors," Tej said with a wry little smile. "Those two goons who were out front yesterday paid Bri a visit to say good morning." He dropped into his chair, stretching his aching bad leg out and then relaxing even though he was feeling kind of cold in just jeans and a tank top. He'd wait for Brian and Rome to leave, then go back to the houseboat and actually get ready for the day. "What're you doing here so early, darlin'?"

"I wanted to spend the day with you," Suki answered, looking unhappy suddenly. "Don't I even get a kiss good morning?"

"You don't want me kissing you right now, baby girl," Tej said with a soft little laugh. "We got rousted out of bed and I didn't even get to do my teeth yet. I'll go back and shower and everything once Bri's done, he's gotta leave."

Suki looked a little surprised. "Did you kiss _Brian_ this morning?"

Tej hesitated slightly and then admitted, "Well yeah, for a second, but we got past caring about a little morning breath a _long_ time ago. I don't expect you to put up with it."

"I love you just as much as he does," Suki said softly.

Tej looked at her a moment and then stood, moving around the table to kiss her gently, lingering only a moment before he pulled back to look into her eyes. "It's not about thinkin' you don't love me as much, darlin'. That idea _never_ crossed my mind."

Suki smiled. "I'm glad." She leaned to kiss him again, soft and sweet and lingering, and Tej enjoyed every moment of it.

Rome spoke up suddenly after a few moments, sounding a little surprised as he asked, "Tej, you got any Sunkist in this place?"

Tej straightened up, surprised but pleased as he looked towards Rome. "In the fridge over there." He pointed to the fridge near the coffee pot with the 'employees only' sticker on the front. "Bri's stash is in the bottom drawer."

"Thanks, brah," Rome said quietly, walking quickly to the fridge to get out a bottle of Sunkist.

Tej moved back to his chair, sitting down, then watched as Rome moved to the table to look at Suki's drawing pad. "Bri won't be long, man. He gets dressed in a hurry."

"Always has," Rome agreed, a muscle in his jaw jumping even though he didn't look at Tej. He gestured to Suki's drawing of a silver Porsche with a charging blue and white unicorn on the side, adding, "You're really good, girl. Do you ever put 'em on cars?"

"Yeah, I do," Suki replied, smiling at Rome. "That dragon I was working on before is going on an MR2 Brian rebuilt for a guy we race with sometimes. It'll be decals and paint both to get it right, then Brian will clear-coat over the top to seal it and smooth it all out."

"Nice," Rome murmured, smiling warmly at her. "You got a lot of talent, Bri wasn't kiddin' about that, girl."

Brian walked quickly in the back door then, smiling and looking pleased. "Morning, Suki girl."

"Morning, baby," Suki replied, smiling at Brian. "How are you this morning?"

"I'm good, " Brian said easily. "I'd like to stay and talk, but we gotta fly, people are waitin' on us."

"Go, baby," Suki said quickly, smiling. "We can talk later."

"For sure," Brian agreed, smiling at her. He looked at Tej, adding, "I'll see you both when we get back."

"Sounds good, baby boy," Tej agreed easily, smiling and pretending not to notice the look Rome gave him.

Brian smiled at Tej a moment longer and then looked at Rome. "You ready, Rome?"

"Yeah, brah, always," Rome replied, walking quickly towards Brian like Suki and Tej had ceased to exist. He offered Brian the Sunkist when he got close, asking, "We taking the Evo again?"

"Might as well," Brian replied easily, taking the drink and starting towards the lot. "Thanks for grabbing me a drink."

"Nah, did that for me, brah," Rome said. "I know how you are this early with no caffeine."

Brian laughed softly and didn't say anything else, just walking out with Rome.

Tej looked back at Suki then and caught her watching him with a slightly sad look, and he asked softly, "What is it, darlin'?"

"You miss him already," Suki murmured. "Is he leaving us?"

Tej smiled crookedly. "I hope not. He told me he'd stay, but for Rome, I dunno."

"So they're a thing?" Suki asked.

"Not yet, but Brian wants them to be, and Rome, he's jealous as Hell if anyone touches Brian," Tej replied quietly. He hesitated a little and then added, "Brian still loves him enough he could be happy with Rome, just not like he did. It's closer to what he feels for me now."

Suki frowned. "He used to love him _more_ than you?"

"Bri used to love him more than _anything_ , baby girl," Tej replied, smiling wryly. "Rome was his _world_ when they were kids, Bri worshipped him. They were inseparable from the time Bri was five right up until they got out of juvie, then Rome freaked out and wanted nothing to do with him anymore, and all of a sudden Bri lost his best friend, his brother, and the guy he thought he was gonna spend his life with all at the same time. He was still a wreck when he met me a couple months later."

"Is that why you tell Brian he's just your best friend, even though you're in love with him?" Suki asked softly. " _He_ believes it, but I don't."

Tej stared at her a moment, then admitted very quietly, "Yeah, baby girl, it is. Brian was hurting too bad when he met me to want to fall in love again, but he needed someone to take care of him anyway. I gave him what I could, took care of him and helped him heal then just like I been doing now. It didn't take me long to fall for him, but I never told him because he was so messed up, and then after he was finally good again I got the invite to go out on the circuit and I gave up whatever chance I had at more to give us both a better life. All I'm ever gonna be to him is his best friend, but I've known that for years and I'm good with it, I promise. It's _always_ been that way."

"I believe you," Suki murmured, then stood suddenly and walked around the table to hug him tightly as she whispered, "You're _my_ world, baby."

Tej closed his eyes and held her tight, murmuring, "And you're mine, baby girl. Don't ever doubt that." He kissed her hair. "I'm pretty sure it won't be long now before I finally can prove it to you."

Suki pulled back just enough to look at him, her eyes sad as she murmured, "I'm sorry, baby."

"Don't be," Tej said quickly, surprised. "I'm not. Like I told him last night, baby girl, if he's happy, it's all good. _You're_ my forever. That was never gonna be an option with Brian. Not after I left him behind to make us a future."

"You wanted it to be," Suki pointed out gently.

"Before I left him," Tej said. "After that, everything changed." He hesitated, then added softly, "When I left him behind, the plan was to get us a start in life, find somewhere to call home then call him out to join me, but I knew from the start we'd just be _friends_ after. When I found out how broken he was it changed everything, I couldn't let Brian _die_ when I knew I could give him a reason to live again, but I wasn't lying when I told you we weren't gonna be permanent. That was never the plan when I brought him out here. I just need him to be happy and safe so I can be happy with you and not feel like I _abandoned_ him anymore."

"I know that now," Suki murmured, smiling. "You think he could be happy with Rome?"

"Brian thinks so," Tej replied. "He said last night he thinks getting with Rome would make us _all_ happy. He'd finally have Rome back, and Rome would have him, and we could be together."

"I like that plan," Suki said, smiling wider. "I want to see Brian happy too, but I want us to be together even more."

Tej smiled back at her. "I'm hopin' for 'til death do us part, darlin'."

Suki's eyes went wide and she just stared at him a moment, then she kissed him like she might eat him alive, morning breath and all.

 

~*~*~

 

The change Tej saw in Rome after he and Brian returned from the meeting with Markham and Bilkins was kind of shocking. Whatever Brian had said to him, he had managed to work his magic again and find exactly the right words. It was something Brian had a knack for doing with people he cared about enough to really get to know them, somehow finding the right words to help _them_ heal even when Brian was broken himself, but such a drastic change was still rare, even with Brian.

Tej was amazed by the change in Rome's attitude and felt like he was _finally_ seeing that guy Brian had loved so much when he was a kid. He could hardly believe the way Rome was smiling, his eyes gentle and pleased, and the way he looked at Brian left no doubt in Tej's mind of how Rome felt. Rome had obviously made peace with something while he and Brian were gone and the anger was almost gone, his dark eyes warm and sparkling most of the time as he watched Brian, even when Brian picked Tej up and got him soaked and then kissed his forehead.

The ride to the storage facility didn't take long, but by the time they got there Tej was regretting driving. He was finally starting to realize his knee was fucked in a pretty major way again when the pain got so bad he felt it even after a hydrocodone with his breakfast. The pain pill should have had him fine for the _day_ , but by the time he got out of the car at the storage place his knee was killing him. He couldn't keep from limping badly as he walked to the cargo elevator to take the others up to the elevated walk between storage areas so he could show Brian and Rome the plan from high enough to see everything.

Tej stepped into the elevator and turned, fighting hard to ignore the way turning made his knee scream, then frowned slightly when he realized Rome had followed him into the elevator but Brian and Suki were still by the Spyder. Brian glanced over and saw him watching then and said something else to Suki, making her smile and stretch up to kiss his cheek, then Brian started towards Tej while Suki got in the Spyder and left in a hurry.

Tej waited for Brian to reach him before he asked where Suki was going, but Brian just said she'd be back and asked about the plan. Tej didn't like them keeping things from him but he wasn't really worried by it and they _did_ need to get things over with if they were going to make the drive to Islamorada. He took Rome and Brian up into the pass over and then told them the plan for the scramble Brian had asked for, and it didn't take long for Brian and Rome to both be grinning.

Suki breezed back into the lot soon after that, parking not far from the cargo elevator, so they headed back down. Suki was waiting just outside the elevator when the doors opened, looking worried but determined, and when Tej saw what she was carrying, he scowled at Brian. "No! I _hate_ that damn thing, Brian!"

"So you're gonna make me and Suki watch you in pain instead?" Brian said quietly, meeting Tej's gaze as he took the knee brace from Suki. His blue eyes were pained but determined, and after only a moment Tej sighed.

"You are so goddamn lucky I love you," Tej growled, still scowling.

"I know," Brian agreed with a little bit of a smile. "Now drop the pants."

Tej snorted and gave Brian a dirty look, then started limping off towards the car. "I can pull 'em up high enough. I'll put it on in the car."

"That works," Brian agreed, following close behind him. "You're riding shotgun though, and don't give me any shit about it."

"What happened to my sweet baby boy who will do anything I say?" Tej asked as he opened the passenger door a few moments later, still scowling as he looked at Brian. It had only been two hours since he had a pain pill, but he was still painfully aware of every step he had taken to get back to the car.

"He figured out you're so worried about him you're going to destroy what's left of your knee if he doesn't do something about it," Brian replied a little pointedly, determined even though his blue eyes were pained and worried. "You're in so much pain even _hydrocodone_ can't touch it anymore and I'm not having you back in a damn _wheelchair_ because of me, not even if I have to tie you up and _make_ you take care of that leg."

Tej looked into Brian's eyes a moment longer and then sighed, the fight going out of him. "Alright, baby." He sat down in the passenger seat, unable to keep from wincing and making a tiny little pained noise as he tried to pull his leg up into the car and it decided not to cooperate.

Brian was suddenly bending close, reaching for his leg to lift it gently into the car, then he just looked into Tej's eyes. "I hate seeing you in so much pain, babe."

"I know," Tej replied quietly. "I'm sorry. It'll be fine once this is all over and I can rest it a few days."

"Jimmy said the brace will help a lot, if you'll wear it," Brian said softly, his blue eyes still pained.

Tej sighed and then murmured, "Baby, it's not your fault, it just _does_ this. It's part of my life now."

"So am I," Brian pointed out quietly, "and I'm gonna _make you_ stop hurting yourself if I have to. I'll do anything for you, but I won't watch you get hurt, not even by you."

"I hear you, baby boy," Tej agreed softly. He reached to tug up the leg of his pants, glad he was wearing loose track pants that day, and was surprised to hear the driver's seat flip forward next to him. He looked at it and watched Rome climbing into the back as he asked, "Don't you wanna drive, man? It's your car."

"Nah, I ain't got a clue how to even get back out of this maze," Rome said easily. "I'll ride back here with your girl, I don't mind."

" _Woman_ ," Suki corrected, smirking as she stepped up into the car. She looked at Tej, adding, "Bri loves driving down US 1 with the top down and his music blasting, baby."

Tej turned more to look into the back as Rome pointed out, "Besides, he'd end up with his knees under his chin sittin' back here with me." He was smirking as he settled in the back seat mostly sideways like Brian had done earlier, his legs stretched out behind the driver's seat. "Ain't no way there's leg room for both of us."

Suki giggled, climbing in to sit in the passenger side with her feet tucked up in the seat, trying not to touch Rome. "Not even close."

"You can relax, Suki darlin'," Rome said then, giving her a soft little smile that surprised Tej. "I don't bite. Not when I know a _woman_ is taken."

Suki giggled again, blushing slightly as she moved to drape her legs across Rome's knees. "This okay?"

"Fine with me," Rome said easily. "Just get comfortable, girl, I'll be fine. You ain't heavy enough to even notice."

Suki smiled. "Thanks."

Brian laughed softly and Tej heard him ripping open the velcro on the brace, so he turned his attention back to him just as Brian said, "I'm glad you two are getting along."

"You know me, Bri," Rome said easily. "I'm always good with gettin' close to a beautiful woman."

"Better than you are with getting close to me," Brian agreed, amused but a little wry.

"I'm tryin', Brian," Rome said quietly, sounding more serious.

Brian looked back at Rome quickly, smiling. "I wasn't complaining, Rome." He looked at Rome a moment longer, just smiling at what he saw in Rome's eyes, then looked back at Tej. "Come on, let's get this thing on so we can go. Robbie's is a long drive."

Tej nodded and tugged his pant leg up well over his knee, holding it out of the way as he said softly, "Go for it."

Brian carefully put the brace into place under his knee, sliding the straps through the loops that held them and then looking at Tej again as he murmured, "You should tighten them. I haven't seen how you adjust it."

Tej reached down to tug the straps snug, closing them to seal the velcro, and then he relaxed his leg carefully. The support felt good to the joint, lessening the pain by quite a bit once he relaxed the muscles, but at the same time the brace put pressure on the scars around it, causing a different kind of pain. The pressure on the scars hurt, but it was nothing compared to the way the joint had been killing him.

Brian tugged his pant leg down over the leg and the top of his work boot, then waited for Tej to meet his gaze before he smiled and murmured softly, "Thank you." He kissed Tej softly, then pulled away and walked around the car to get in.

Tej closed his door, and when he glanced in the side mirror he was surprised to see Rome didn't look pissed off, just a little sad.

Brian got in the driver's seat, firing up the car and then starting to pull around to leave as he asked cheerfully, "We listening to music or talking?"

"Music's safer," Rome said a little dryly, making Brian glance back at him. "What you got in mind, brah?"

"I don't even know what's in this thing," Brian said with a smile. He looked at Tej then and added, "Find us something to listen to."

"Sure," Tej agreed, amused. "Talking gets us all in trouble."

Suki giggled. "Not me!"

Brian laughed and teased, "I bet I can think of things to ask that will get you red as a beet, baby girl."

"You'd be even redder," Tej pointed out with a grin as he navigated the computer to the music files to see what was there.

"Probably," Brian admitted with a laugh as he turned onto US 1 and then accelerated.

Tej scanned the artists in the computer's memory, then laughed. "Either this car was owned by a chick or a guy with _really_ girly taste."

"Why, what's there?" Rome asked, leaning forward to look.

Tej moved aside so Rome could see the screen and the list of folders of music by a few dozen mostly female artists including names like Lady Gaga, the Spice Girls, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera, along with half a dozen boybands and a few folders named 'love', 'fun', and 'techno'.

"I'm not seein' much here," Tej said dryly, amused. "Maybe we can find somethin' on the radio. This thing doesn't have XM or Sirius."

Rome laughed and reached forward, tapping the screen on one folder and then setting it to random. "That'll do."

Tej looked at Rome in surprise as music began playing, and after only a couple notes Brian laughed. Tej looked at Brian and saw he was grinning as he said cheerfully, "I love you too, Romy-Rome."

"You better," Rome said with a laugh, settling back again.

Brian started to sing along softly, grinning wide and happy. " _'Alright, I drink more than you, I party harder than you do, and my car's faster than yours too._ '"

Tej looked at the screen, checking who was playing, and then he laughed. " _Really_ , baby boy? Pink?"

"I kind of love her," Brian admitted, looking over at Tej and still grinning wide and happy.

"Since the first damn album," Rome agreed, amused. "Drove me _crazy_ until I got him started on classic metal."

Tej looked at Brian, grinning. "Better than the happy hardcore."

Brian laughed, blushing a little as Rome exclaimed, "You got him into _rave music_?!" He let out a huff that wasn't quite a laugh. "Tell me you did not let him go dance around like a crazy thing _in public_."

Tej laughed. "I even went with him, bro."

"Course you did," Rome said, sounding amused. Tej looked over his shoulder at Rome, surprised to see he was grinning, his dark eyes sparkling as he watched Brian and said fondly, "You have _always_ had horrible taste in music, Bri."

Brian looked over his shoulder at Rome, grinning. "Awesome taste in guys, though."

Rome laughed, looking surprised, and then he settled a little more comfortably into the back seat. "True."

Brian laughed and looked back at the road, singing along with the music softly again, " _'So I'll cash my checks and place my bets, and hope I'll always win, but even if I don't I'm fucked because I live a life of sin. But it's alright, I don't give a damn. I don't play your rules, I make my own. Tonight, I'll do what I want, 'cause I can.'_ "

"Turn it up, baby," Suki said then, making Tej looked back at her. She was grinning and looking happy, her long hair blowing in the breeze as the car sped towards Islamorada. "I love her, too."

Tej laughed softly again and reached to turn the music up. He could learn to like Pink, he was sure.

 

~*~*~

 

Tej was surprised when Suki moved into his lap there at the restaurant and started kissing him, but he didn't even consider arguing. She was kissing him like she wanted to have him for dessert, slow and deep and just plain _perfect_ and he didn't even realize his hand was sliding up under her little plaid skirt until she pulled away with a giggle, blushing and pulling her skirt down again.

Tej licked his lips, smirking as he moved his hand back to the outside of her skirt, stroking her ass lightly as he murmured, "We should prob'ly move this to the car, darlin'."

Suki kissed him again, biting his lower lip gently just the way he liked and sucking on it for an instant, then murmured, "Let's go." She slid off his lap, standing, and then looked back down at him, her long hair blowing in the breeze and almost glowing in the sunset as she watched him with a hungry expression.

"God, baby," Tej murmured softly, levering himself up to his feet and then stepping closer to kiss her again, hard and insistent.

Suki made a soft little happy noise, kissing back, then pulled away, giving him a sexy little smirk before she turned and walked away down the pier towards the parking lot.

"Damn," Tej murmured, watching her go with a little grin for a few moments before he dragged his gaze away, reaching for his wallet. He grabbed the little tray that held the ticket off the table, checking the amount, then put down enough to pay it plus a big tip, sliding the bills into the clip on the tray and then pocketing his wallet to start limping off after Suki. His knee was still hurting with every step, but it wasn't nearly as bad with the brace as it had been before he put it on. The knee didn't feel like it was on the edge of buckling with every step anymore either, and he knew he'd have to start wearing the damn brace more often.

Tej was hoping for a little alone time with Suki when he got to where they parked the Spyder, but Brian and Rome were standing by the car talking to her, side by side. They were so close their shoulders were brushing against each other and they were both grinning as they talked to Suki, who was blushing but giggling at whatever had been said.

Brian looked over at Tej as he approached, watching him with a smile, and when Tej got close Brian said quietly, "The brace _is_ helping."

"Yeah, baby, it is," Tej admitted, smiling wryly. "A lot. I just hate the damn thing 'cause it makes the scars hurt for hours after I take it off."

Brian frowned, surprised. "I thought you said it _helps_."

"It does, with the knee," Tej replied, still smiling wryly. "I'm walkin' on my own right now because I've got it on. Without it I'd be leaning on you or Suki like a crippled up old man."

"You're not crippled," Suki said firmly, stepping closer to slide her arms around Tej's waist. "You're _hurt_."

"Baby girl, this kinda hurt doesn't ever go away," Tej said gently, wrapping his arms around her. He gave her a crooked little smile, adding, "My doc has tried to get me to take one of those handicapped things you hang in your window about fifty times now."

"If it's that bad, brah, then you gotta start bein' more careful," Rome said firmly, making Tej look at him in surprise. "You end up in a wheelchair and you're gonna have Bri and Suki both feelin' like it's their fault."

Tej stared at Rome a moment, still surprised, then said quietly, "I already decided to wear a brace more. I just need to find a different one that doesn't dig into the scars. If I wear this one every day, it won't take long for them to break open again."

"Or maybe you just need to not do so much," Brian said quietly, making Tej look at him with a frown. "I'm not talking giving up everything, but there's some stuff you could let me and Rome do to help."

Tej's eyebrows went up and he looked from Brian to Rome and back again. "You think he's gonna stay?"

"I'm hoping," Brian said, looking at Rome.

Rome smiled at Brian, his dark eyes gentle and warm as he said quietly, "I ain't got nowhere else I wanna be, baby."

Brian stared into Rome's eyes a few moments, smiling bright and happy with a soft loving look in his eyes, then suddenly looked at Suki and then back at Rome as he asked, "Who's driving us home?"

"I am," Rome said, smiling wider. "It's _my_ damn car."

Brian laughed and took the keys out of his pocket, offering them to Rome as he looked at Suki, teasing, "Looks like you're stuck with me in the back."

"Naw, man," Tej said, smirking. " _I'm_ gonna hold my girl on the way home. You can ride shotgun."

Brian looked surprised and a little concerned. "You're sure you can get your leg comfortable?"

"Gonna put it in the seat," Tej said, smiling as he looked at Suki. "Suki'll just have to sit close."

"Close sounds _nice_ , baby," Suki murmured with a little grin, leaning to kiss him, biting his lower lip again and drawing a soft little noise from him. She pulled away to move towards the car, and Tej followed her, smirking.

Brian laughed and walked around the car to the passenger side. "Just don't get us arrested."

"Clothes are stayin' on, baby boy, I promise," Tej agreed, never taking his gaze off of Suki, who giggled.

A few minutes later they were on the highway cruising at eighty, Rome driving and Brian in the passenger seat with a local classic rock station playing loud, both of them singing along with the radio. "' _They call us problem child, we spend our lives on trial, we walk an endless mile, we are the youth gone wild!'_ "

Tej barely noticed the music despite how loud it was, too busy kissing Suki to care about anything else.

 

~*~*~

 

The next day was Hell for Tej.

The garage was locked up and everyone went to the storage facility right after daybreak to make sure everything got set up like it needed to be. People were already gathering when they got there and Suki, Jimmy, Kali, and Julio were soon up in the backs of the big pickup trucks, directing people to line up their cars behind them in such a way that when the call came to scatter, everyone would be lined up with a door and ready to roll. Tej wanted to be up there too, but his leg was still really iffy and with the way his week was going, he was afraid he'd fall and break his neck.

The two center rows were kept clear about the same width as a two-lane road all the way to the back of the building, where the Camaro and the Challenger were parked and waiting. Brian and Rome came flying in just before eight, and everyone who could actually see the center row just sort of stared in awe as they entered the building side by side and then went into powerslides like they had practiced it a dozen times. Rome whipped his car around in the middle of the building while Brian went just past him and then did the same, both cars coming to a stop side by side while Brian and Rome grinned at each other and Roberto and Enrique freaked out beside them, yelling in Spanish.

Brian and Rome were both out of their cars almost before they had even stopped and then Brian was yelling at Roberto and Enrique to help carry the money out of the trunks while Rome ran back to the Camaro and fired it up. While Roberto and Enrique loaded the money in the open trunks of the Camaro and Challenger, Brian took a moment to kiss Tej and Suki and told them to be careful, then he was running for the Camaro while Rome revved the Challenger to life with a roar.

A few minutes later Tej was in the Evo driving fast with Suki right on his tail, wishing he had thought to bring a snack. He had smoked a joint the size of his little finger as his breakfast along with a cup of coffee and a hydrocodone and he was feeling no pain, though he was a little high and a _lot_ hungry. He had the munchies in the _worst_ way.

Ten minutes later, he and Suki were sitting side by side in the back of a police car, hands cuffed behind them. The officer in charge of them had walked off to talk to someone else and they were alone, and after a few minutes Tej looked at Suki. She looked kind of bored and unhappy, and he didn't stop to reconsider as he asked softly, "Wanna make out in a cop car?"

Suki giggled instantly, looking at him. "Really?"

"You got anything better to do right now?" Tej asked, grinning at her.

Suki giggled again and leaned to kiss him without another word, and they were still kissing when the cop came back about twenty minutes later and opened the door. "Jesus!" the cop said when he looked into the car, sounding annoyed. "Break it up, you two. Come on out of there."

Tej pulled away from Suki, giving the cop a slightly sheepish grin. "Thanks, officer." He scooted towards the door to get out and managed to get to his feet with the cop's help easily enough, but when he turned to let the cop get to his cuffs, his bad leg collapsed under him with a flare of pain he felt even with the weed and hydrocodone in his system making him a little high. He landed hard, his head banging into the hard ground, and he winced as he muttered, "Oww."

"What the hell?" the cop muttered, surprised.

"He's got a bad knee," Suki said quickly, scooting to the door to get out of the car. "Let me go so I can help him!"

The cop quickly unlocked her cuffs and then Suki was kneeling by Tej, who still hadn't even tried to get up. His hands were still cuffed, and his bad leg didn't want to work, and now his head was hurting too. It just wasn't his day.

When Suki leaned over him, Tej looked up at her and murmured, "Brian owes us _big_ for this."

"He totally does," Suki agreed.

The cop knelt next to them and Tej rolled to his side to let the cop get to the cuffs, and a moment later Tej was sitting up and rubbing his wrists as he looked at Suki and said, "We're gonna leave the Evo here."

Suki nodded. "Yes, we are. Brian hates it anyway, and it belongs to Customs. They can come get it."

The cop had backed away a little but was still standing close by watching them. "I can call it in, Customs is all over town today. They'll get someone out here."

"Perfect," Tej said, giving the cop a grateful smile. He looked at Suki, adding, "After I'm in the Spyder, check the Evo and make sure Brian didn't leave anything in it, then we can go home."

"Sounds good," Suki agreed, smiling. She looked up at the cop then, asking, "Could you help me get him on his feet, sir?"

"Sure," the cop agreed, stepping closer. "You sure he doesn't need to see a paramedic?"

"Nah, man," Tej said quickly, looking up at the cop. "I fucked my knee on the circuit a few years ago. Ain't nothin' an EMT can do about it." He laughed slightly, adding, "They couldn't even give me morphine for it, I got a double dose of hydrocodone in me now just so I could drive."

Rick walked up to them then, looking surprised and concerned as he asked, "Tej, why are you on the ground?"

"Hey Tanner," the cop said easily, nodding to Rick.

"How are you doing this morning, Mitchell?" Rick replied, smiling.

The cop, who was evidently Mitchell, laughed. "Better than some." He grinned. "I managed to follow these two without hitting anything."

Rick laughed. "Not an easy job! Tej and Suki are both in the top twenty drivers in _Florida_ , much less here in town."

Suki beamed up at Rick. "Thank you, Rick."

"Just the truth, Suki," Rick replied, smiling back at her. He looked at Tej, adding, "You didn't answer me, son. Why are you sitting in the dirt?"

"Cause my knee went out on me," Tej replied, trying to look a lot more friendly than he felt towards Rick. "Where the Hell have you _been_ , Rick?"

Rick looked a little sheepish. "I was working a murder. I did what I could to help them, Tej, but I have a job to do, too."

Tej stared at Rick a moment then, lifted his hands. "Help me up, we gotta get moving."

"So do I," Rick agreed quickly, taking Tej's hands to haul him to his feet. "I just came to make sure you two get out of here and head home. Bilkins said to keep the Spyder for now. He's working on something with it. The Evo goes back to Customs."

"That's the plan," Tej agreed, swaying as he tried to balance on one leg until Suki moved in close to his side and slid her arms around him, worried. Tej wrapped one arm around her, giving her a wry little smile as he murmured, "Darlin', I'm gonna have to stay right here by this nice cop's car and you move the Spyder over here. My head's swimming and my damn leg don't wanna work. There's no way I'm walkin' that far."

Rick stepped closer, frowning as he slid one arm around Tej to steady him. "Sounds like you should be heading for the hospital, Tej." He looked at Suki, adding, "Go on, get the car. I got him."

Suki hesitated and then quickly pulled away to hurry off towards the Spyder, which was parked about a hundred feet away next to the Evo. The driver's door was still open on both cars and there were several cops looking into them, looking kind of awed.

Tej looked at Rick, meeting his gaze as he said quietly, "You're lucky I'm so messed up, poppa bear. I was gonna deck you next I saw you, but you get a pass."

"I don't blame you, son," Rick said with a sigh. "I didn't want Brian mixed up in this mess at all. That bastard Markham wouldn't take no for an answer though, it was either go along with it or watch him lock Brian up for refusing to cooperate." Suki eased the Spyder up next to them as Rick hesitated and then added, "I managed to get them to give back the Skyline, get it running again, but it's not like it was. Customs fried the electrical and computer systems when they took Brian, and when they were working on it to get it driveable again they took out most of the mods because they were illegal."

Suki jumped out of the Spyder to hurry around and open the passenger door, but Tej barely noticed. "They _fried_ a two hundred and fifty thousand dollar car?!"

Rick winced. "I knew you spent a lot on it for him, but _damn_."

"That's not how much I spent," Tej said, scowling. "That's just what she was _worth_. If I put her on the open market I would have gotten an _easy_ quarter mil within a few _days_. Jimmy and Brian put over a _month_ of work into her, every free minute they had, and there's a _reason_ they call Jimmy the Wizard out on the circuit! They did stuff on her that's _never_ been done before, and the computer system was _all_ custom work! Getting her back to what they had will be damn near _impossible_!"

"I'm sorry," Rick murmured, looking pained. "If I could go back a week and just _tell_ Brian to come in instead of them hunting him down, I promise I would. I didn't know _anything_ about it all until after they had Brian in custody, and even then they didn't tell me about the car. Brian told me on the plane to Barstow and I've been fighting Markham ever since to get her back for him."

Tej stared at Rick a moment longer and then turned towards Suki, who was standing close and looking upset. "Baby girl, it's time to go."

Suki moved quickly to his side away from Rick as she said softly, "We should hear from Jimmy soon."

"Yeah, I know," Tej agreed. Rick and Suki helped him to the Spyder and he mostly fell into the passenger seat, grabbing his bad leg with his hand to haul it up into the car, then he looked at Rick while Suki went to look in the Evo. "If you hear _anything_ , you call."

"Of course," Rick said quickly. "I'm heading out now. I'll make sure you get updated once we know something."

"Thanks," Tej said, looking towards Suki, who had just popped the Evo's trunk. Suki walked around to it, hesitating and then reaching in for something, coming up a few moments later with a Burger King bag. She closed the trunk and hurried to the Spyder, putting the bag behind the driver's seat as she said, "Brian left their breakfast. I guess they didn't have time to eat."

"I'll grab something for them on my way down to meet them," Rick said, closing the Spyder's passenger door. "You two head back to the garage. Bilkins promised me that I get them back after it's over, both with their records cleared."

Tej looked at Rick. "Bring them _home_ , poppa bear."

Rick nodded. "I promise." He turned away to hurry off towards his Jeep.

Suki started up the Spyder again and backed up, then drove very calmly and sedately away. They were halfway back to the garage when she said suddenly, "Brian left a bag of money in the Evo's trunk, not his breakfast."

"I figured," Tej agreed, smiling. "He hates Burger King."

"There's twelve bundles of hundreds," Suki said, looking at Tej a little wide-eyed but otherwise calm. "However much that is."

Tej laughed, a little surprised. "Well, if they're standard bundles, that's a hundred and twenty thousand dollars."

Suki was quiet for a few minutes, and they were just turning onto the road the garage was on when she said suddenly, "That will be a start for him, if he wants to fix the Skyline."

"Depending how bad they stripped her, that might be enough to do the whole rebuild," Tej said, smiling. "If he and Jimmy want to do it again. They might decide to just start fresh on something else."

"I don't think so," Suki said softly as they turned into the garage parking lot, where several regulars were loitering in the big open bay, waiting for them. "They were _so_ proud of her."

Tej's smile faded. "Yeah, baby, they really were."

Suki pulled the Spyder right into the big open main bay, parking near their table before she looked at Tej and said softly, "I know you don't want people to see you need help, but you really do and Julio is stronger than me."

"I'll be good, darlin'," Tej said softly.

Suki leaned to kiss him, then got out of the Spyder. "Julio, come give Tej a hand."

Julio stood quickly from where he was sitting at their table with Kali, looking surprised as he walked towards them. Tej opened his door and looked at Julio, giving him a wry smile. "My leg's kinda not holding my weight right now."

"I got you, _hermano_ ," Julio said quickly, giving him a smile as he moved in closer to the open door.

Tej turned to swing both feet out of the car and then reached for Julio's hand, and a moment later he was swaying on his good leg. He tried flexing the bad leg and winced at a stab of pain, then sighed. "Yeah, no way. I'm gonna have to lean on you, brother."

Julio moved next to Tej's bad side, getting under his arm as he murmured, "I'm not gonna carry you like Brian probably would, but we'll make it."

Tej gave him a wry smile. "If he was here, I might let him."

Julio laughed and they started towards Tej's chair slowly as he said with a little smirk, "I kinda doubt he'd ask you for permission."

Tej laughed. "Yeah, probably not." Julio lowered him into his chair, then Tej added wryly, "He'll get a chance later, most likely."

"Good," Julio said, smiling warmly.

"I think it's time for some breakfast," Kali said suddenly, making them look at her as she stood up, smiling. "What do you want to have today? I'll go, I don't mind."

"I'm so hungry right now, I'd eat your flip flop if you put barbecue sauce on it for me," Tej replied quickly, making Suki and Kali both giggle.

"That's just _nasty_ , man," Julio said, laughing as he sat back down in Jimmy's usual chair. He looked at Kali. "I vote donuts. The place down the street is awesome."

"Donuts sounds good," Suki agreed, smiling as she moved to kiss Tej softly. "I'm going to go help. We'll be back soon."

Tej shifted in his chair to take out his wallet, then passed it to Suki. "My treat. Make sure there's a whole box of Bavarian creams."

"I will, I promise," Suki agreed, smiling. "I know they're your favorite and Brian's."

"And Rome's," Kali added, making them look at her in surprise. "What? He said so last night when he came back down and finished off the leftover donuts that were in the fridge." She giggled. "And the cereal, and the leftover pizza. He's a bottomless pit."

Tej laughed. "So that's where all the leftovers went."

"He said something about knowing what the food was like in jail," Kali said with a little laugh. "Whatever is going on, I think he's afraid it'll go bad."

"It's not going bad, we won't let it," Suki said quickly, smiling. "Come on, let's go. I'm starving." She turned away to walk back to the Spyder then and Kali hurried after her, and a few moments later they were leaving.

Tej looked back over at Julio, who asked softly, "Is it going bad?"

"I got no clue, brother," Tej replied quietly, pulling his phone out of his pocket and then sitting it on the table. "He's supposed to call once he's safe."

"Does he have his phone?" Julio asked quietly.

"Put it in his pocket myself," Tej answered.

They fell silent then and Tej picked up his phone, tapping to unlock it and then looking at the map again, showing how far Brian had to go. He glance at the clock, then sighed and set the phone down again. He wasn't going to call, not when it might come at exactly the wrong time.

Tej and Julio had been sitting there in silence for about ten minutes when the phone began to play a familiar tune.

_'We're off to see the Wiz --'_

Tej picked the phone up, tapping accept and then saying quickly, "Talk to me, Jimmy."

Jimmy replied instantly. "Rome's heading for Tarpon Point right now. Verone changed the plan, Brian and that undercover agent are alone with them up there. I'm heading for the airstrip to get the Customs team, send them to Rome and Brian."

"Shit," Tej murmured, closing his eyes.

"Rome's not gonna let anything happen to him," Jimmy said firmly. "He rocketed off after Brian at one-ten, at _least_. He's already there by now, it's only like ten miles."

"Hopefully he's fast enough," Tej said quietly.

"He will be," Jimmy said firmly. "I gotta go, Customs is waving guns at me." He hung up.

Tej turned the phone off and set it aside, looking across the table at Julio. "It's not going well. Brian's backup is in the wrong place."

"Have faith, _mi hermano_ ," Julio said gently. "Brian's smart. He'll figure out a way to come back to you."

"He'd better," Tej murmured quietly, lifting one hand to rub his eyes.

They fell silent again and neither of them spoke for twenty minutes or so, just sitting and waiting until Tej's phone suddenly began to play music again.

_'When I get high--'_

Tej picked it up and answered, saying quickly, "Brian? Are you okay?"

"I'm _fine_ , babe," Brian said quickly, sounding pleased. "It's over. We got him. I gotta get the boat back to the dock, get Rome seen to, he busted his arm when we crashed the Camaro onto the boat--"

" _We_ , my ass!" Rome said in the background, sounding amused. " _You_ was the one driving, Brian."

"Okay, when _I_ crashed the Camaro onto the boat," Brian said, laughing. "It _worked_ , dammit!"

Tej let out a strangled little laugh. "Brian, how in Hell did you get the Camaro onto a _boat_?"

Julio stared at him, eyes wide.

"Uhm, well," Brian said, then hesitated before he admitted, "I kinda drove along the side of a canal and hit the Nos on this dock, and we flew."

"Like half a football field!" Rome added loudly. "Crazy white boy saw _way_ too much Dukes of Hazzard!"

"You watched that with me," Brian said quickly, laughing. "And _you_ were the one who taught me to jump drainage ditches! It was the same thing, just bigger!"

Rome let out an inarticulate noise and then said firmly, "You are not allowed to _fly_ in a car any more, Brian! Wheels belong _on the fuckin' ground_ , you hear me?"

Brian laughed. "Yeah, I hear you. _Everyone_ hears you. Just _chill_ , we're safe, it's done, now we get to _go home_."

"No, first we get to go to the fuckin' hospital 'cause you broke my arm," Rome disagreed, " _then_ we go home."

"I didn't break it!" Brian disagreed, indignant and amused. "That was the crash!"

"You was drivin' the car!" Rome countered quickly. "That makes it your fault, just like when we was kids and I broke my arm climbing in your damn window!"

"That wasn't my fault either," Brian said, sounding like he was grinning. "I didn't make you climb that tree, that was all on you! You couldn't live without me then, remember?"

"Yeah, it's a familiar feeling," Rome agreed, sounding almost annoyed. "You always get me in trouble, Brian."

"You taught me to _steal cars_ and had me drivin' them over a hundred miles an hour when I was _fourteen_! That trumps _any_ trouble I ever got you in," Brian said quickly.

Tej laughed, so relieved and glad that Brian was really safe that he felt a little lightheaded. "God, I love you."

Brian laughed. "I love you too."

"You damn sure better love me too, Brian!" Rome said quickly, and Tej could almost hear him scowling. "This arm hurts like hell."

"You know I do," Brian said easily, amused. "We're almost to the dock, babe. There's Customs agents everywhere, I gotta go."

"Get home safe," Tej said quickly, smiling.

"Promise," Brian agreed. "I'll be there as soon as I can." He hung up without another word.

Tej turned off the phone and looked up, finally realizing that Suki and Kali were standing next to the table watching him with interest, holding several boxes of donuts each. "That was Brian. He's fine. Rome broke his arm, but it's not too bad. He was giving Brian shit and sounds fine."

Suki and Kali both beamed at that and moved to set the boxes of donuts they were holding on the table just as Tej's phone began playing music again.

_'I ain't never gonna be--'_

Tej picked up the phone, answering it. "Hey Rick."

"I just got the call, Bilkins says he can see Brian," Rick said, sounding relieved and happy. "He did some crazy stunt, something about driving a car onto a yacht, but he's okay. I'm almost to where he is now, Bilkins is sending him out to me as soon as they wrap up."

"Yeah, I just talked to him," Tej agreed, smiling wide. "Rome's got a busted arm, but Brian's fine."

"He called you?" Rick asked, surprised.

"Yeah, he did," Tej replied, pleased. "I told him when I put his phone in his pocket this morning he better call the moment it was over, and he did."

Rick let out a strangled little noise. "I told him the same thing last time I talked to him, but _I_ haven't heard a word."

Tej grinned. "He's more afraid of pissing me off than you, Rick. I know all kinds of embarrassing shit he doesn't want all our friends knowing about."

"More embarrassing than the donkey?" Julio asked, grinning.

Tej laughed, looking at Julio. "The donkey was _tame_ , brother. Me and Brian, we were _wild_ kids."

Suki giggled, walking back to the table with two mugs of coffee as she said, "I still want to know about the ring pop. Just mentioning it made Brian _so_ red."

Rick snorted. "I don't _ever_ want to know. _Especially_ about the donkey."

Tej started laughing, he couldn't help it.

Rick hung up on him.

 

~*~*~

 

It was a little after three when Tej's phone finally began to play _'Kickstart My Heart'_ again, making the quiet conversation around him stop instantly.

Jimmy was sitting across from Tej with Kali in his lap and Suki was between them and Tej, all three of them looking at Tej worriedly but not saying anything. Julio was sitting on the opposite side of the table, concerned but a lot calmer than the others after spending half the day so far reminding them Brian had his phone and would call if he needed them. The four of them were the only ones in the garage, Tej had sent home anyone else who showed up, telling them firmly the garage was closed and to come back another day. They had all expected Brian and Rome to return hours ago and had been trying hard to keep a conversation going about anything but how worried they all were, but it had been a losing battle and someone would mention Brian every few minutes.

Tej ignored the way everyone looked towards him, leaning to grab his phone off the table. "Baby, where _are_ you?"

"At that hospital over on 14th," Brian replied, sounding kind of stressed. "They had to put a couple pins in Rome's arm, it broke right where it did when we were kids. They made him wait forever but he just got out of surgery and we're supposed to be able to go home as soon as he wakes up. Dad dropped him off when we got here, but they called him back out on that murder he's working and I needed you to have Jimmy come switch cars out for me. The Skyline's set up for one."

"You've got the Skyline?" Tej asked, surprised. "Rick told me he got it back for you, but didn't say he _gave it_ to you."

"He did," Brian replied, sounding a little odd. "Dad met us with it when Bilkins let us go. It's...  not like it was, but she's running. Sort of."

Tej lifted one hand to rub his face. "That doesn't sound encouraging, baby."

"Yeah, I'm not even sure she's fixable," Brian admitted quietly, sounding sad. "I haven't gotten under the hood, but the computer's all fucked and she sounds _horrible_. She drives like shit now, too. The front end is screwed up, Customs didn't fix the damage from me crashing her, or fixed it wrong, or something. She fought me all the way here, trying to dive to the right, and whatever is fucked was steadily getting worse."

"Rick said something about them frying all the electronics and removing the illegal mods," Tej said with a sigh. "He didn't mention the front end is fucked too."

"Oh hell no," Jimmy said then, making Tej look at him. Jimmy looked pained and upset as he added, "They _killed_ her?"

"Not _dead_ ," Tej said, "but Bri says she's in sad shape. Computer's fried, she sounds awful, and she's pulling right real bad."

"Damn," Jimmy said sadly. "We just barely got her _finished_."

"Did they let you take the Evo back to the garage?" Brian asked then.

"No, but Suki got your bag out of the trunk," Tej replied. "We've got the Spyder, though. Rick said Bilkins is working on some kind of deal with her."

"Good," Brian said quickly, relieved. "The bag'll help, if you and Jimmy want to start over on the Skyline."

"What about you, baby?" Tej asked. "Do you want to fix her?"

Brian hesitated a few moments and then admitted, "The idea of wasting all the work Jimmy and I put into her kind of makes me sick, even though the way she's running, we're gonna be starting over. She was _awesome_."

"We'll talk about it after you and Jimmy see how bad she is," Tej said gently. "Maybe it's not as bad as you think."

"Maybe," Brian said doubtfully, falling silent a few moments before he went on. "Anyway, I still need you to have Jimmy switch out cars for me. I'm afraid to have anyone else drive her like this. She's not really safe, but we're only a couple miles away from the garage. I drove her all the way up from Tarpon Point, but she was getting worse when we got here. I'd bring her home myself and switch cars, but I don't wanna leave Rome alone when he's drugged up, sometimes it makes him freak."

"Yeah, baby, no, don't do that," Tej agreed. "Just a sec."  He moved the phone away from his mouth, looking over at Jimmy. "Bri needs you to switch cars out for him at the hospital on 14th, bro. Rome's in recovery and supposed to get turned loose once he's awake, and the Skyline's not really set up for a passenger."

"Sure," Jimmy said, nodding as Kali got up off of his lap and then getting to his feet quickly. "I don't mind. Which car does he want?"

Brian evidently could hear Jimmy because he replied before Tej could relay the question. "The Mustang, if he doesn't mind. Keys are in the top drawer of my toolbox."

"The Mustang," Tej repeated for Jimmy, smiling at the way Jimmy brightened. "He says keys are in the top drawer of his toolbox."

"The Skyline's in the lot not far from the Emergency entrance," Brian said then. "You can see her from the ER door, she kind of stands out." He sounded a little annoyed suddenly as he added, "Jimmy'll have to come inside for the keys, my phone's not workin' in there, but he'll see me sittin' in the hall, they won't let me in Rome's room. I'm not _related_."

Tej snorted softly. "At least you can get him out of there once he's awake, baby boy."

"I plan to bring him straight home," Brian agreed. "I gotta get back in.  Love you."

"Love you too, baby," Tej replied softly. "Go, we got you."

"Thanks," Brian said quietly, then hung up.

Tej looked up at Jimmy again, turning off the phone. "Bri said you'd have to come in for the keys, he's heading back in and his phone doesn't work inside. He'll be sittin' in the hall outside recovery, he said you'd be able to see him once you get inside."

"Why's he in the hall?" Jimmy asked, surprised.

"Staff won't let him in Rome's room," Tej said quietly. "He's not related."

"Might as well be," Jimmy said, annoyed. "Brian can't _remember_ before he met Rome."

"Yeah, I know, but that kind of shit is typical," Tej said quietly, meeting Jimmy's gaze. "You remember when it was me in the hospital, how my uncle had to fight to get you next of kin on my paperwork so they'd start tellin' you what was really going on."

"Yeah, I do," Jimmy agreed. "It pissed me off then too, little brother." He started for the private bay, reaching out to touch Tej's shoulder on the way by. "I'll bring 'em home."

"Thanks, brother," Tej replied, watching Jimmy go. He'd like to be the one going, but his knee was too fucked for him to even consider it. The hydrocodone and weed he started the day with had worn off for the most part, and any time he moved his leg it screamed at him. If it wasn't at least a little better by morning, he'd be the next one at the hospital, though he'd be going to the Sports Medicine center at Baptist, not the University of Miami hospital Brian had gone to. Tej would have sent Rome to Baptist too, it was a much better hospital, but nobody had asked him.

"I'm sure he's fine, baby," Suki said gently then, making Tej look at her in surprise just as Jimmy ran up the bay door.

"I wasn't worrying over Brian that time, darlin'," Tej admitted. "I was thinkin' about heading over to Baptist in the morning to find out what I did to my knee."

Suki frowned. "Is it hurting you that bad, baby?"

"Not if I don't move it," Tej said wryly, "but I can't sit still forever."

"We'll just get you and Rome both out in the boat where we can take care of you two," Kali said firmly, making Tej look at her in surprise. She was sitting in Jimmy's chair, looking determined as she added, "I bet between us, me, Suki, Jimmy, and Bri can make you behave yourself."

Jimmy fired up the Mustang then, her big engine rumbling to life, but Tej didn't even glance that way, frowning at Kali instead. "Since when are you one of my keepers?"

"Since I just decided to be," Kali responded, grinning suddenly. "Bri and Suki will need all the help they can get to keep you off that leg."

Suki beamed at Kali. "Thank you."

"Anytime, sweetie," Kali said cheerfully. "I'll even get Jimmy to move my television and PS4 in so they have something to do besides stare at a wall."

Tej scowled. "Brian's bad enough, I don't need you two helping him mother hen me to death!"

"Too bad, so sad," Kali said instantly, smirking at him.

Julio laughed. "Sucks to be you, _mi hermano_."

Suki and Kali both giggled at Tej's expression.

 

~*~*~

 

Rome turned out to be doing fine despite having minor surgery on his broken arm, and when it was suggested that he and Tej should stay on the boat together, he had a fit. Kali and Suki decided not to fight with him since he _did_ seem fine other than having one arm in a sling, so they concentrated their efforts on Tej. Moving Kali's television didn't happen, mostly because Tej hated video games, but Tej ended up in Brian's bed the rest of the day anyway with Suki and Kali playing guard dog most of the time.

Brian got the girls to help him force Tej to go in to Baptist the next morning to see his usual doctor. It turned out he hadn't done any new damage, not really, but he _had_ irritated the joint badly and the swelling was what was causing most of the pain. The doctor gave him three injections into the joint and put him on muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatory meds, and then sent him to the rehab building to be fitted with a new knee brace because the one he had been wearing was rubbing the scars above his knee raw right over the pins holding the lower end of his thigh bone together.

The new brace was made of a completely different type of material, soft neoprene instead of the rough heavy-duty nylon of the old one, and by the next evening Tej was kind of wishing he had gone to the doctor a week ago. He wasn't taking his hydrocodone at all because the doc had told Brian that the pain would make him be more careful, but even without it Tej's knee hurt a lot less. _Everyone_ was fussing at him to stay off the leg every time he turned around, but it was feeling so much better that he was able to take the fussing with better grace than usual.

Brian and Jimmy spent most of that day working on cars that got pushed aside because of all the upheaval over the last few days, but by the usual closing time of six they were done for the day and had just raised the Skyline's hood while Tej watched from his table. Neither of them looked happy at what they found, and Tej glanced around to be sure Suki and Kali were still gone before he stood and limped over to the Skyline, which was parked out in the main bay over one of the lifts.

Brian frowned when Tej stopped next to him, surprised as he said, "Tej! Go sit down!"

Tej shifted so all of his weight was on the good leg, then said, "I'm not even standing on it." He nodded towards the Skyline, which looked like it had been _gutted_ under the hood. Customs had stripped out almost all the racing upgrades they had done. "Did they leave _anything_ like it was?"

Jimmy snorted. "Well, the _battery_ is still there. They fucked with pretty much _everything_ else." He gestured to the main fuse box and the wiring leading from it, then to the radiator, and then to the housing for the main computer, all which were dusty and dirty. "The stuff they replaced looks like they pulled it off a _wreck_ , and they just _ripped out_ half the performance systems, including the cooling and even the damned _muffler_. It's no wonder she sounds like shit, she's running on straight pipes and when they pulled the Nos they just crimped the fuckin' ports and left them. It's a wonder she'll run at _all_."

"Damn," Tej murmured, pained. "So if you fix her, you'll have to start over."

"Naw man, _when_ we fix her, we gotta start from _worse_ than what we had the first time," Jimmy said, a little annoyed but mostly unhappy. "You gotta find another Skyline in decent shape first as a parts car before we can even _start_. Whatever hack they had get her running pulled parts out of a wreck or something, half of them are worn out or damaged somehow."

"At least I got plenty of time to look for one," Tej said, making a face as he glanced down at his bad leg. "I'll get on the computer, start hunting one down."

"And we have plenty of cash to get started with," Brian added quietly. "Along with what I pocketed on the boat, we got over two hundred grand to put into her."

"Make that three hundred," Rome said, walking over to join them. They all looked at him in surprise and Rome added, "I ain't gonna miss a hundred of what I took. That'll still leave me fifty grand, which is way more than enough. All I need it for is to get the Challenger running again and for me to live on until I'm racing." He grinned suddenly. "And around here, that's cheap. I ain't had to buy my own food or beer yet, and I ain't even payin' rent."

Brian smiled, pleased as he murmured, "Thanks, Rome."

"It ain't no big thing, baby," Rome said easily, smiling warmly at Brian. "You know me, easy come, easy go."

Brain laughed softly, his blue eyes sparkling and fond as he looked at Rome. "Yeah, you never did end up keeping money for long."

"Just pieces of paper with dead white people on 'em," Rome said easily, smirking. "As long as we ain't hungry, I'm good."

Brian laughed. "I'll make sure you eat." He looked at Jimmy, grinning a little as he asked, "You think we can get her back on the line for three hundred grand?"

"We _should_ be able to," Jimmy agreed, looking measuringly into the hood. "Maybe half that if we get lucky on the parts car. First time around we ended up replacing some things a few times, playing around and finding out what worked best. This time we know what we're after mostly, it's just getting everything." He looked at Brian again, adding, "The most expensive will be the custom parts we came up with, but the specs are all in the office computer. Just gonna have to get the parts machined all over again and then get Kali started hacking the computer once we get it in."

"I'm gonna do a lot of the programming this time," Tej said then, making the others look at him. "I gotta stay off this damn leg anyway, I might as well do somethin' useful while I'm sitting on my ass."

"That'd be awesome," Jimmy said, surprised and pleased. "Kali's great at breaking into what's there and tweaking it, but she doesn't do a lot of straight coding."

"I know," Tej agreed, "but I can. Not much I picked up on the circuit that's useful anymore besides what Craig taught me about computers, but I oughta be able to get it done. I have copies of what Kali did before to work from."

Jimmy grinned. "You and your backups."

"Tell me it was a waste of time _now,_ " Tej said with a little laugh. "I got _everything_ out of the Skyline's computer on an extra hard drive in the office."

Brian and Rome both grinned at that as Jimmy admitted with a smile, "No, you were right. It'll save us a lot of work."

"So we're really doing this," Brian said, smiling.

"Yeah, kid, we are," Jimmy said firmly. "Might take us a while, we're a lot busier now than we were before, but we'll get her on top again."

"While you got Tej huntin' down your parts car, you two can fix my Challenger," Rome said then, making them look at him. "The Spyder's a standard and I'm not gonna be working a shifter for a couple months thanks to Brian and his crazy," he added dryly. "The Challenger just needs body work and a new radiator. Oughta be _easy_ for you two geniuses."

Brian laughed. "The Acura and the pickup are both automatics."

"They ain't _mine_ , though," Rome pointed out, smirking.

"Alright, fine," Brian agreed, amused. "When I got time."

"I'll help," Jimmy said, amused. "It'll go faster with both of us bangin' on her."

"Dude, that sounds so wrong," Rome said with a laugh.

"Nah, _you_ just got a dirty mind," Brian said quickly, smirking at Rome. "Everything sounds like sex to you."

Rome met Brian's gaze a moment then laughed and walked away. "That's cause I ain't been laid in way too damn long."

"So not my fault!" Brian countered quickly, still smirking as he watched Rome walk away. "I got you Rachel's number and I'm not hard to find. Pick one and shut up."

Rome flopped down back on the couch near the coffee machine and then picked up his new phone to finish whatever he'd been doing with it, amused but not looking at Brian as he said, "I could say the same damn thing to you, baby."

Brian laughed and just stared at Rome in surprise.

Tej snickered as he looked at Jimmy. "You wanna start on the Skyline yet, or you just wanna park her until we get the parts?"

"Park her," Jimmy said instantly, looking amused. "There's not much we _can_ do without parts. I mean, I can do the alignment and fix that front wheel, but running her like she is would be hell on everything else so there's no reason to bother. Might as well wait until it's up on the lift for everything else and do it then."

"Works for me," Tej said, nodding. He shifted his weight, wincing as his knee protested, and then Brian was frowning at him.

"I saw that," Brian said firmly. "Go sit your ass down or I swear to God I'll pick you up and go throw you in bed to _really_ stay off it a while."

"The only way I'm letting you put me in that bed is if I got _company_ ," Tej said, scowling as he carefully turned away to limp back towards his table. "There ain't nothing else to _do_ out there."

"You can work on the laptop out there as easy as in here," Brian pointed out, amused.

"No, I can't," Tej disagreed, "the damn wifi won't reach."

Brian laughed. "If you _wanted_ to work out there, you'd find a way."

"He'd plug in the wifi repeater he bought _months_ ago and never took out of the box," Jimmy agreed, snickering as he closed the Skyline's hood.

"I'm sitting down, see?" Tej said, scowling at Brian and Jimmy as he pulled the laptop over in front of himself again. "Why don't you two just shut up and get busy? You got a Challenger to fix."

Brian looked at Jimmy, grinning wide. "I'll put the Skyline back in the bay."

Jimmy laughed and headed towards the lot. "I guess I'm going to get the Challenger, then."

Tej snorted and then looked at the laptop, bringing up Chrome to start running a search for a Skyline, preferably one already modified for racing.

 

~*~*~

 

Tej was finally feeling like all was right with his world again by the time Brian and Suki swam back to the party barge for the last time the next afternoon. Rome was next to him, relaxed and calm and watching Brian with enough heat in his eyes that a glance told Tej exactly what Rome was thinking about. He smirked slightly as he murmured, "You're lookin' at him like you want to eat him alive, Rome."

"The idea had occurred to me," Rome admitted, lips twitching into a smile as he glanced at Tej, then back at Brian. "You gonna be unhappy if I do, brah?"

"Hell no," Tej replied softly, smiling even though he was going to miss having Brian in his arms and his bed. They had talked the night before and then made love like they did before Tej left for the circuit, slow and sweet and making every moment last. Tej had known then that it wouldn't be much longer before Brian wasn't his anymore, and he had made his peace with it. "As long as you make _him_ happy, I'll be good."

"I think I can handle that," Rome said with a little smirk.

Brian and Suki reached the edge of the party barge then and Brian smiled up at them as he said cheerfully, "We're starving, how about you two?"

"You know me, baby," Rome replied easily, dark eyes intent and warm as he stared at Brian. "I'm always hungry."

Brian looked into Rome's eyes a moment, his smile widening as his blue eyes went warm and he said quietly, "So I see."

Suki giggled and climbed up out of the water, teasing, "I'm not sure either one of them is hungry for _food_ , Bri."

Tej licked his lips as he watched Suki climb up out of the water, but then Brian climbed up the ladder after her and Tej found his gaze roaming for a moment before it settled back on Suki, admiring her perfect body as he shifted slightly in his chair. "I could go either way."

Suki giggled, picking up her towel off the deck and then walking towards him as she teased, "I think Brian's going to be busy, baby."

"If there is a God," Rome agreed, and a glance at him made Tej laugh at how he was smirking as he looked at Brian.

Tej looked back at Suki, grinning as he said, "I meant you or food, baby girl. I could make a meal out of either one right now."

Brian laughed suddenly and Tej looked at him to find Brian staring at him, eyebrows up and a surprised look on his face. "You're doing it now?"

"Doing what?" Tej asked, surprised too and a little confused but still smiling.

Brian laughed. "Did you forget what you're holding, Tej?"

Tej glanced down and then laughed, feeling his face heat up. "Well, yeah, I kinda did." He looked at Brian again, smiling, then looked at Suki and found her staring at him, wide-eyed. "I was gonna do this a little different, baby girl, but maybe you won't hold it against me if I just get it over with." He slid out of the chair to kneel on his good leg, the bad one stretched out in front of him still as he smiled up at Suki and said softly, "Come here."

Suki walked over to him, still wide-eyed but starting to smile a little.

Tej held the ring box in one hand, reaching for her left hand with the other as he said, "I bought this ring the day you asked me if I'd ever been in love before, darlin'. I know it took me longer than you wanted to get here, that I put you through some rough spots, but I was serious that night I told you I wanted forever. Will you marry me?"

Suki's eyes filled with tears, but she was beaming as she nodded quickly. "Oh yeah, baby." She dropped to her knees in front of him and kissed him without another word.

Brian waited for them to come up for air before he said, "It's about damn time, Tej." Tej laughed and glanced at him to see Brian's blue eyes were a little shiny, but they sparkling and he looked blindingly happy as he added, "I was going to _make_ you buy her a ring soon."

Suki giggled, pressed close to Tej's chest as she looked up at Brian. "I love you too, baby."

Brian grinned and moved to drop to one knee by them as he said firmly, "I love you _both_. Congratulations."

"Thanks, baby boy," Tej murmured softly, smiling as he held Suki close. He didn't even mind the cold water seeping through his shirt from her bikini.

Suki nodded quickly, not saying anything but beaming at Brian.

Brian smiled as he kissed them both on the forehead, then stood. "We gotta celebrate," he said firmly, pleased. "Dinner is on me, anywhere you want."

Suki giggled. "Sounds good, baby, _later_." She looked at Tej, her brown eyes sparkling and warm as she added more softly, "There's something else I want to do as soon as I get that ring I've waited so long for on my finger."

Tej smiled wider and pulled away from her a little, opening the ring box to show her the delicate rose gold band with a simple pink diamond in the middle. "Will this one work, baby girl, or do we need to go shopping?"

Suki held her left hand out to him, smiling as she said softly, "This one is _perfect_."

Tej took the ring out of the box and then put the box back in the pocket of his coveralls, smiling at her as he reached for her hand to slip the ring on her finger. "You got no idea how happy you made me, baby girl, sayin' yes."

"Almost as happy as you made me," Suki said softly, beaming happily.

Tej kissed her soft and slow, then when they pulled away he murmured to her with a little grin, "You're _mine_ now."

Suki smirked and jumped to her feet, giving him a hungry look before she turned to walk towards the pier and said, "And we're going to go steal Brian's boat for a little while so I can prove it."

Tej laughed, looking at Brian and offering him his hands as he said, "Help a brother up."

Brian laughed and hauled Tej to his feet. "When you two are ready to go eat, call Rome." He looked at Rome, smiling as he added, "I'll be with him."

"Damn right you will," Rome agreed, smirking.

"You got it, baby boy." Tej started after Suki, walking faster than his knee liked but really not caring at all. "Enjoy yourself. I _know_ I will."

"Promise," Brian replied with a laugh that cut off abruptly.

Tej glanced back to see why and laughed when he saw Rome was kissing Brian like he might eat him alive. He turned his attention back to where he was going, wishing his knee would take him running on it even though it was just a short walk to the boat's doorway.

It felt like he'd been waiting for Suki _forever_.

 

~ End


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